Although the property has less than 600k in total debt against it.. so its just operating expenses and he keeps his properties pristine so he says he runs about 40% in operating costs prior to debt service which So basically no pay means no retained earnings for the month ..

Why would you retain this contractors services if they were unable to provide a contract let alone a written estimate, or evidence of permits?

Conducting comprehensive market research in target markets with strong business demand, positive economic signals, job growth, and wealth growth are possible.

I was not getting any solid signal about rental occupancy rate either and from a property appreciation point of view, I felt there was hardly any skin left in the game for me. 

There is a gal who came by she said she can do social media marketing on a monthly retainer for 5k/mo.

I have many out of market/state/country investor clients (and I also do out-of-state investing for my own portfolio) who self-manage their properties which is the best way to maximize cash flow and retain control of your investment.

You can pay them a competitive interest rate and you will retain full control of the building while you learn about managing rentals.

So,  if you are serious and have some experience, you can probably cut a few years off your business development trajectory, and save more than the $15-$20K fee by retaining this outfit.

We do this for all our tenants and have been able to retain all of them here since we bought the building.

@Pamela Holmes I recommend  @Mark Byers at Signal Rents.