Fyi, after my research on about a half a dozen property management companies I ended up engaging with Spinnaker in Tacoma mainly due to the fact that they don't provide any brokerage services just pure property management.

Are you great at organizing and maybe you'd be a good fit at a mortgage brokerage?

Buy a builder stock, commercial real estate stock, maybe a brokerage stock, and others.   

Paying brokerage fees etc to really only use it once or twice in the next few years?  

However, we all know that most of these "discount" listing brokerages, or brokerages offering discounted coop fees have houses that are overpriced, usually flipped horribly and sit forever.

My partner and I are starting a loan brokerage in the NYC area.

If nothing else I suggest you find someone who primarily focuses on management and DOES NOT have a brokerage as well.

So I'm putting that money into the S&P500 (retirement accounts and brokerage).

Additional funds in a taxable brokerage account. 

I've been a broker/agent/investor for 22 years, with 25 of my own investments.