Yes as you mentioned corporations will benefit from lower rates and try to increase market share, but they are less influenced by this since their cost of borrowing is less than that of a consumer.  

From my experience clients are very rewarding experiences, as you get a chance to bring someone else's dreams come to life, personally I love to take them through the process of a full renovation, everything from rendering to build, however, if you are not built with the proper infrastructure it is incredibly time consuming and administratively intensive.

Con: They reduce my monthly cash flow (6 - 10%)Manage it myself:Pro: My cash flow is increased (at expense of time)Pro: Online tools make it easier for me to remotely manageCon: Time-consuming, especially during the leasing processHow to find a good property manager / leasing agentI go online and get reviews and quotes (Yelp, Thumbtack)I ask for 3 referrals or reach out to those people (note: I also ask tenants, since I want to make sure my tenants are happy and treated well)I ask what online tools and processes they use (for example, if they don't have an option to collect rent online ... then they seem pretty inefficient to me) I ask about transparency -- will they provide me with the background check, lease agreements, etc.?

The best advice I can give you on that aspect is to use your current situation as motivation, rather than let it consume you.  

Get a company do your direct mail.Option 1 will be the cheapest and most time consuming.

The debt from your mortgage doesn't consumer all of your income unless you can find a duplex @ this price.This is why majority of the beginner RE investor start with Wholesaling to generate a good income before getting into buy and hold.If you're still interested in the buy and hold strategy then I suggest getting with a mortgage lender to know the specific loan amount they will give you.Good luck.

@Charles PeraltaBuilding new is an exciting challenge and to be honest can almost be easier and less time consuming than rehabs.  

I think it's possible to wholesale off the mls but I think it will just be more time consuming and the payout wont be as great. 

Violation incurs not only penalties under the Property Code (return of all payments made by the buyer including monthly payments) but potential liability under the dreaded Deceptive Trade Practices – Consumer Protection Act (“DTPA”) which can involve treble damages plus attorney’s fees. 

HUD's overall responsibility for interpretation, implementation, and compliance transferred to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on July 21, 2011.Who must be licensed as a loan originator?