Am I alone in finding that in today's market, wholesalers tend to be able to bring properties at the same price points as you can find by shopping at foreclosure auctions?

It’s worth continuing to shop around or even speaking with a mortgage broker who can connect you with a lender who might be more flexible with these terms.Also, keep in mind that every lender has different guidelines, so it may take a bit of persistence to find one that aligns with your needs.

Cleveland has been one of if not the #1 overall rental market in America for the last 10 years, If Indy was great, we would have " set up shop there" .  

This should simplify your approach and help you avoid legal issues for failure to perform under the contract.

Now proper accounting is still important because bookkeeping is the first and best tax strategy for most people but there was a huge time difference in the services performed.

Owners mistakenly ASSUME all PMCs offer the exact SAME SERVICES and PERFORM those services EXACTLY THE SAME WAY, so price is the only differentiator – so, they often select the first PMC they call or that calls them back!

If a property fails these benchmarks, it’s likely not worth the time to perform a deeper analysis.Risk Management: By adhering to these rules, I aim to minimize the risk of overpaying for properties or underestimating operational costs.

It would be interesting to do an analysis on the 10-20 year return pattern of cashing out a portion of your funds, pay the tax and invest in potentially better performing assets vs the REIT returns. 

Owners mistakenly ASSUME all PMCs offer the exact SAME SERVICES and PERFORM those services EXACTLY THE SAME WAY, so price is the only differentiator – so, they often select the first PMC they call or that calls them back!

What they ARE doing is deceiving their clients by billing them for more time than they are actually performing.