Real estate is one of the last great free-market environments. everything is negotiable, and some providers are better than others, meaning they offer more complete/sophisticated service and response, wider marketing exposure, etc.I compete routinely against both higher than 5% and lower than 10% management rates and anywhere from one month's rent for a leasing fee, to half that. 

I agree about the areas but they are already rented to section -8 so apart from routine calls which PM would be handling, I dont have to go there.

I have been a silent reader/listener on a not-at-all routine basis for roughly a year, and looking forward to now joining the BP network!  

I have bank records that show the routine deposits from each rental, I have tax docs that prove the income for the one property, I have lease agreements (though one is coming due), I have reserves built up... so I really think I have my bases covered.  

The fact that you are keeping your former primary residence as a rental could raise an eyebrow with Fannie and Freddie underwriters though.  

We address routine maintenance issues, but the property was in pretty poor shape and we failed our first ever REAC inspection this summer.  

I'm being routinely asked for 10% earnest. 

Once you get a lead and make an offer, even if seller says "NO" you have that lead in your database and Follow up routinely until the sell to you or someone else.

The thing that has raised my eyebrows is the lack of personal or principal information on the site or any information on BBB and this is the last reply.

I buy for the appreciation the cash flow is a nice bonus.See this thread where I quote @Christian Hutchinson complaining that the house he bought in a nice suburb of Detroit only went up 76% in 5 years because properties he had looked at INSIDE Detroit had gone up 600%.It is routine to sell properties bought 3 years ago for 10X what I paid!