So my gut is you're getting overcharged.

However, If the manager charges a fee for keeping a vacant listing, consider replacing the management firm as this is over-charging.

Also for us Beginner Women Investors, is there a way we can tell if we are being over charged or ripped off by Handyman/Electrician etc???

To be ensured clients are not being overcharged on Property Taxes, use an industry specialist with extensive market experience in valuation, tax and law to perform your Property Tax Mitigation.A Typical Service Overview: Most companies consider property taxes to be a fixed cost.

We all love to save money, so while I would like to find someone who will not over-charge me, I do seek quality workmanship, and intend to pay someone fairly to achieve that.I hope to network and learn even more here on BP!

I believe an FHA loan requires you occupy the property for at least 12 months. while you need to double check this, if accurate, it means at month 13 you could buy another place, FHA insured at 5% down, and pick up a second property. that is a strategy you could implement over a number of years if the math works. as for a multi-fam that allows you occupy one unit, vs. single fam house or even condo, it just comes down to math. there is nothing wrong with having a friend or random occupant rent a bedroom from you, as long as the rent reflects fair market value (so I don't agree that charging a friend rent "could strain the relationship" - unless you're over charging of course). beyond all that, it is absolutely critical, obviously, that you screen your tenant / roommate rigorously - and living with "friends" isn't always a good idea. create an excel spreadsheet of these three verticals, any others I may have missed, with math predicated on what your local market reflects and feedback from lenders and see what it looks like. 

For instance, if a contractor wants to charge me $150 for a toilet I know I can get for $90 or 6k for cabinets I can get for 4k, there's no way I can blindly accept being overcharged for something I know doesn't cost that much.

We do the same thing for our clients but I'd say CPA firms will overcharge for what you're looking for.

Foundation companies are notorious for over charging and over engineering fixes. 

Imagine if your mortgage company sent you a $25 gift card, I personally wouldn't care-- I'd just think "thanks, you're obviously overcharging me if you need to redistribute $$ to customers."