I don't personally have tens of thousands in cash on hand for larger down payments (I do though in my TSP/401k), but my dad will have maybe a couple hundred thousand after the sale of his house soon.

My wife was a nurse who topped out after 30+ years around $80k.

Unless a PM company has THOUSANDS of doors, this is not profitable. 

It's worth remembering that insurance companies, construction companies and nursing staffing agencies do not find places for their folks to stay.

They've built a second campus to accommodate nursing and pharmacy students. 

Of course, always check recent reviews.. they tell you more than a flashy website.Size Matters: I’d avoid both extremes... massive firms managing thousands of units and one-person operations juggling too much.

Does it make sense to cheap out over the few thousand dollars it will cost to go through a proper escrow and title process?

I'm not done with my estimates yet but I'm likely coming out a couple to a few thousand ahead per month when I'm done repositioning everything.

So what many do is they try and do it on the cheap, and get death by thousand needles instead of making the investment.

A good real estate accountant can save you thousands of dollars by leveraging entity selection and formation, tax deductions, cost segregations, bonus depreciation and tax planning.I recommend finding an accountant who specializes in real estate taxation, business taxation, financial planning and tax planning.You may want to consider working with your accountant remotely to expand your options.I would also recommend looking for a accountant willing to work with you throughout the year.