I also paid like 5k to have it all custom built out for our specific use. 

Seems your referral to a women's group is pretty popular in this thread.

This is a popular method to execute the BRRRR strategy.

I'm going to talk to customer support with both companies again, but thought I'd check on any thoughts from those who might have had personal experience with either company or changing programs in general.

I could pay a regular marketing firm to build a site, but since so many STR owners have this need, I have to imagine there's an off the shelf option rather than having a custom site built.

The drawback of relying solely on MLS, realtor.com, zillow.com, or similar listing sites is their widespread popularity.

Even deleting the Builder left me 30% higher than I expected on this small, custom home. 

I'm hanging in there and building a strong relationship to build my rental portfolio and care for my customers. 

In these smaller, growing cities that are not necessarily as populated or popular yet, you have room for lots of appreciation, but you also get better cash flow opportunity, that you don't have to wait for.

The biggest question here is your risk tolerance. 1031 DSTs are perfect for investors who want low risk investments while Syndications are more popular amongst investors with high risk tolerance.