Another thing we've seen in Tucson is that one of the largest rental competitors (they have over 100 rentals in the area) slashed their per room price from $595 to $495.

The areas in particular to pay attention to are kitchens and bathrooms.Avoid the renovations that are invisible to the tenant or that make the unit "too" nice (no need for granite countertops if none of the nearby competitors have the same).A great way to determine market baseline is to go visit comparable properties renting at market rate to see what the generally accepted standard is in your area.

My primary brokerage allowed it with the caveat that i could not have my MA license with a competitor, which meant essentially no national brokerages that also do business in the DC market.

Maybe a competitor?

Then again, I may not since i dont want any local competitors to see the inner workings of my stuff. hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Will only work if you offer a competitor price per month compared to the local internet service provider.

The fact that CSC's competitors don't plan to raise rates indicates this is not an industry-wide tax hike.  

Are there competitors (as in, other full service real estate investment companies) that you might recommend checking out instead?

(or when your competitors stink at it...)people will see this:Any one that is all over the first page of Goolge WILL get most of the leads.And when people look for ways to sell their house for cash and Google suggests your name:You really think they will have a doubt in their mind who they need to choose?

I’d have them out and a couple of their competitors to get a better feel for what happened. $2 per sqft is what I’m charged in my area for a sand down and refinish