Also, having a rehab budget already laid out with explanations on how you got the numbers would help and is definitely a plus when I look at deals even though I typically wont use their numbers it at least shows a little more effort. 

Start with your budget then think about location.This is a really vague question. 

So, realistically, how much time do you expect a PMC to spend getting multiple bids?

Overall, you're spending $25k in extra costs and a monthly pmt that's $500 higher to keep $50k in your bank account. 

It might be helpful to narrow down your options by focusing and researching for markets with strong rental demand, growing job markets, and property prices that fit within your budget.

Hope to spend more time here in retirement.

I’ve been a serial house hacker in the greater Boston area so happy to connect and share some lessons learned.Multifams inventories are quite low depending on your budget and location preferences.  

Contractors can give you ballpark quotes on the spot, which will tighten up your budget.

You definitely wont get an app like that for free, so how much would you be willing to pay to a company to submit it for you, vs spending 10 minutes once a month to submit taxes? 

Spending $1,000 to start the process can be worthwhile if you’re clear on the steps needed to reach that point.As for renovations, the approach really depends on your goals and the scale of the work.