While the borrowing costs are higher, I’m exploring strategies where the returns could offset this.

That said there are some nuances and requirements to property implement interest tracing so ensure you talk to your tax professional ahead of time and keep the funds movement as clean as possible. 

We got started, but they hired an appraiser and charged me $750, while typically appraisal costs around $500.

One issue that I'm noticing is the range of reported insurance costs.

Quote from @Erick Pena: A "good" rental property is one that covers all expenses (mortgage, taxes, insurance, maintenance, property management fees, and any other costs) and still leave a surplus (commonly referred to as cash flow).Calculate cash flow as: Cash Flow = Rental Income − Operating Expenses − DebtThere's much more to it, but that's the basic idea.

Cost approach A straightforward method that adds the cost of the land to the cost of building construction.

I'd highly recommend house hacking in your local market since you're in one of the highest cost of living areas in the US, especially if you're renting currently and planning on staying in the area for 5-10 years.It sounds sexy to go out and invest out of state for your first property.

Your estimate seems low, but even at that cost, it will not add that value.  

unfortunately this marketing specialist was NOT a specialist in marketing for real estate businesses, did not understand the unique requirements and characteristics of real estate, and hence implemented their “generic” on line marketing program.  

This, on top of the up to 17% cost of capital.3.