Or are interest rates, rents, etc. still out of whack and making profiting difficult assuming now as time zero? 

. - Even if it takes me 6 months to find a tenant at $25/sqft + NNNs, I would still generate more NOI in year 1 than on a multifamily property with similar square footage.

Just consider the rent you saved buying the place as part of the profit plus any/all the write offs you’ve had for 3 years. 

Long-term rentals offer diversification, learning experience, and lower returns but may generate lower returns.

I've been using Avail to generate leases and collect payments from guests for my MTR but I don't think it has comprehensive enough features. 

However ever if the numbers are done correct, you can buy one for a good price, live in it for a few years then sell it at a profit ish (Covers what ever extra you paid into the unit) to then migrate to a home instead of renting.This is if you purchased at a good price.For investment only??

So, the real estate broker/agent would have to inform the seller of the fair market value of their home, making it much more difficult to earn a profit larger than what a real estate commission would be.  

Would obviously have preferred to use a third party but this accomplishes exactly what I need - a birds eye view of the profitability each month without have to re-enter operational and tenant data into my own system when the property manager is already tracking this information. 

I’m also currently looking to upgrade to a software that allows me to transfer friends from PM to owner and will help me generate form 1099at the end of the year.

That leasing agent can provide very good insight into what is moving in the market and how to generate more income.