Note for future - Ensure your leases have a lease break fee, 1-2 months rent that the tenant needs to pay in order to terminate their lease early.

The agent is willing to work with me and offered to pay our agent a referral fee but that they would need to be in the deal someway since it was their opportunity - which I honestly understand and would not try to snatch from them.I was concerned with the pros and cons with either route - direct or through an agent.

Be sure to compare the terms and fees before making a decision!

If your startup costs are over $55,000, you lose the immediate deduction, and the entire amount would have to be amortized over 180 months (15 years).Here’s an example to clarify:•If you spend $7,000 on startup costs (such as attending BPCon, legal fees, and market research), you can deduct $5,000 in the first year and amortize the remaining $2,000 over 15 years, starting when your business is officially active.

That weeds out 95% of them.Debexpert fees are too high to make the numbers work most of the time. 

My mortgage is less than $1000 and I get $1500 in rent, when realistically I could get $1600+.If you can manage to put 5% down and get a traditional loan, your PMI and fees will be less than going the FHA route which will reduce your costs.I don't have a ton of properties, but this is what my experience has been.  

(I receive some from a couple different franchisees) They carve out a small assignment fee of a few grand.

And if not, what groups or people do you recommend I talk with regarding private money lending for amounts that would allow me entree into Sub-To deals that require lower capital entree fees?

JLH capital made their normal fees. 

To answer your question, Accounting when you have a PM Company in place is tricky because your bank statement may only show a payment of $800 but in reality that may be the result of $1,000 of gross rents less $100 in PM Fees and $100 in repairs made on your behalf.Best of luck.