A friend of mine invested in one last year—apartments upstairs, a small coffee shop downstairs - and the combination of income streams made it a steady performer.Scaling with a 1031 Exchange:While not applicable unless you sell a property, planning for a 1031 exchange could help you scale quickly while avoiding capital gains taxes.

I'm currently using a website that I created 4 years ago, posting vacancies by creating a page and cross linking it to a form in my website for applications.  

This is most applicable for growth of a portfolio, not avoiding cap-x. 

I'm moving because I'm ready for the paid stuff, and Zoho has a whole suite of software (from social media to work flows to appointment scheduling) and they all integrate with each other.

You should ask for that info on their application.

We like the software, but the consulting service seems taking a bit too long... we would like to have someone to help us out with set ups, automation and a general marketing plan...

For the nuts and bolts and real-world applications, I would lean on forums like these and studying or talking with other successful investors. 

These are decisions to can make to subtly change the applicants to get and how long you keep a good tenant thereby affecting your vacancy/turnover costs. 5.

A solid agent can help you calculate ARV, manage inspections and contractor connections— get quotes and coordinate handymen and vendors post close, provide shopping lists and software suggestions for management or STR furnishing, etc. 

What is a good system to create around standardizing rent increases where applicable / best way to communicate it to the tenants?