In fact, across the board, out of town investors are buying at *negative returns* which is making it absolutely impossible for savvy, educated investors to even get their foots in the door.

Getting your license is a solid move for sure as it opens up more doors and opportunities. 

Besides, since they did the design/drawings, regardless of anything you do or sign, they will ALWAYS be responsible for any problems (real or fake) that comes from anyone using their plans.  

You are already ahead of the curve because most rely on number of doors and cash flow as their primary purchasing criteria which leads them straight to the C/D neighborhoods. 

The biggest impact will be interior paint, trim and doors, upgraded fixtures, bathrooms and kitchens. 

If they say "it's to cover marketing" then I would argue they probably aren't professional and just charge it because they can.The leasing fee is charged per door, meaning you will pay it every time they place a tenant in one of your rentals.

Design called for this to be installed on same plane as the doors.

I’m especially interested in hearing what the average cost per door per month is for property accounting.

I live in the RTP area and have been here since 2013, I am interested in SFR and Multi (4 or fewer doors).

You'll probably want to get enough doors via LTR first then build your in house team.