Need the ear of power, it can probably be arranged.  

Feel" the true beat of the portfolio's income and expenses performance before using leverage to speed up the growth of your portfolio.Using cash only will protect your bottom line in scenario's like yours when the properties don't perform as expected as you won't be on the hook to cover the mortgage expenses.Just my bias opinion so take it with a grain of salt.I've also witnessed many finger pointing instances when others get involved.Like a new property manager, realtor, contractor, etc...I've had my share of bad experiences with realtors that threw my company under the bus and got in the investors ear to flog it at any price just so they can make a quick commission.It get's very messy, painful and pretty much turns into a disaster with the investor not knowing who to trust or what to do anymore.Similar to what you post about has happened to me and my company many times and if allowed the opportunity, we do our best to fix and come good.Some loose trust and faith and I 100% understand, but as soon as someone leaves the wing of my company there is not much that we can do because as I mentioned above, everyone else get's involved, has an opinion and the situation get's very messy.Having in-house property management is vital when such a "crisis" arises.I tried out-sourced PM when we first started and it was a disaster.We had no choice other than to bring it in-house.Hated my life for the first 5 years with in-house PM and fast forward 10 years, it has become our "golden goose" and a very well streamlined and beautiful business.From what I've seen and read on the forum and elsewhere it seems like RTR has a good reputation and what you have mentioned seems like a "worst case scenario".I hope RTR will assist you the best they can and all I can say is learn from the experience and don't give up.Do your best to weather the storm and focus on minutia.Don't have regrets and don't spend too much time dwelling on the past.Glimpse into the past to get guidance from what you could have done better and think ahead.Move forward smarter, more experienced and better.Wishing you well and much success with your future endeavors.

If anyone can recommend a less expensive brand that they think is great, I'm all ears.

It has a 2,100sf home on the property, horse barn, pasture, rodeo ring, and backs up to a small body of water.

My BS meter is ringing.  

In other words, I have not even come close to mastering either (1) the elevator pitch or (2) the frequency with which i continue to market to them.For example:  Ring Ring.

I just voted up Joshua's post because the bottom line is that "I'll take the collective any day over the advice of one individual" rings loud for me.

I moved to columbus and so did thousands of other people for the opportunity and the economic development. look at the net migration patterns. that's what drives development, economies, etc. if you have some data to back up your investment thesis I'm all ears. but my focus is on Central Ohio new construction economy.

Starting a career in the real estate agency, I’m looking to stumble upon new opportunities to learn and open an ear to some of the well established agents out there. 

If you can invest in a location where you have friends or family who can be your eyes and ears on the ground you are more likely to have a positive outcome.