Great "deals" are made routinely by investors and motivated sellers in every area of the country weekly or daily.

Out of that $540 you're paying:TaxesInsuranceUtilities (at least when vacant)Legal costsCPA costs (or, higher taxes if you try to DIY your taxes)Vacancy (even if just for a week or two during turnovers)Routine maintenance (inevitable, stuff really does break)Make ready costsTenant damage in excess of security depositsCapitalThe 50% number is well supported by large data sets.

I am in the same situation and am done with the paycheck to paycheck routine and trying to figure out how to pay down CCs.

My personality type requires me to be doing a lot of different things and I am not good at routines.

MSR's are routinely sold when mortgages are pooled and sold as securities.

Get more referrals, talk to others in RE, a title attorney at a title company can usually take care of most routine matters and do so out of court, check at the title plant/company, they have an attorney or one retained.

Also I try to build processes around tasks to make things routine and efficient.

You can request an appraisal "review" for major factual errors, but they're routinely ignored.

Its pretty routine now.

I routinely use my own Rental/Lease Agreement for my rental properties.