I get the feeling Quest is resigning because there is not enough fee income to be made from me, so I'm being dumped.

We offer a $200 referral fee, and have been considering increasing it. 

The first few times, I didn't charge a late fee.

Be sure to hold a hefty reserve to handle on-going maintenance, capex, taxes, and insurance.

Quote from @James Hampton: How about a quick check before you have to charge a screening fee? 

I find condos/townhomes to be easier to manage out of state because the HOA handles a lot of the maintenance, just be aware of condo fees and find a place that is reasonable like $300-400/mo or less if you are lucky.

I cash flow them to buyers on lease options with a hefty option payment up front to me.

I am newly married and have a hefty mortgage myself, but I manage to save a decent amount of money realistically 10-15k a year I have been working as a construction worker as long as I have been working I am a mason by trade and even though moneys tight I know I will be a successful investor even in the current market.

My humble advice to anyone attempting to do creative finance is:Creative finance is for experienced investors who have access to capital if anything goes wrong.Learn the lawsDon't use a contract "off the internet", laws vary by state and are also regulated on a federal levelLearn the financing techniques correctlyDon’t skip parts of the processDon’t ever do a “kitchen table” closingUse the proper deedAn attorney can help you with the legal work, but the rest you are on your ownYour guru will not bail you out“Investing” in someone else’s deal by providing a small 2nd loan so the “investor” can pay for “cash to the seller” and for “closing costs” so he can do the deal is a very bad planKnow what problems can ariseLearn the responses and solutions to problems before they are neededKnow everything there is to know about Title and what that meansKnow who a "protected class" individual isLearn the "back doors"Learn human natureUnderstand timelinesUnderstand regulation enforcement (some of these "mistakes" have a 10 year statue of limitations ( they can charge you 10 years AFTER you do the transaction) and carry hefty fines and possible imprisonmentThe court doesn't accept "I didn't know" for an answer"Know that the source of the lead plays a serious role in some states and federallyKnow how much of a "profit" pushes the boundaries to invite an investigationYou can be sued by the seller if you don’t do things correctlyYou are automatically at fault if an investigator or attorney or regulator gets involved.

Even then, $23K in closing costs seems hefty unless there's past due payments that need to be brought to current.