Moz and SEM Rush are both awesome tools for research and like you said competitor backlinking. 

Not at this early stage when my liquidity / cash flow / leverage is low compared to my competitors. 

This is where my once good team is now barely OK and I should spend some time to improve as my great ex-handyman is now a competitor (owns 5 units in my exact markets).Managing properties can get easier but even once it gets easier it will not stay that way on its own. 

I am proud to say that even though many of these companies are competitors (and we do compete both for properties and at times clients), I am friends with several of these companies and would recommend most to an investor simply based on what I know of the owners and how they operate.  

These events often attract groups consisting of two competitors and their parents for example.

And mall landlords would write into a lease that they won't lease to a competitor, so if I own a Chinese restaurant, they won't rent to another Chinese restaurant.I also found out that in NYC, I cannot run laundromats absentee, they required it manned and someone opening and closing it.

Compared to competitors, they are overpriced IMO.

Thank you for the information regarding rates...my research indicicated to me that competitors charge anywhere from 10-15% for their services.

I recommend you start with the enemy method, find your successful competitors and mimick their best strategies.

A lot of hotels are building in the particular areas which are priced way high on room rates which could not be my direct competitors.