Leasing is a specialized skill—PMs deal with this daily, making them far better equipped to handle applications, verify income, conduct background checks, and evaluate a tenant’s overall suitability.Protecting Your Investment:The cost of a bad tenant can be far greater than the cost of hiring a professional.

With the expanded threshold, landlords can turn to skilled, unlicensed workers for quick fixes—perfect for tenant turnovers or routine maintenance.3.

Quote from @Marc Winter: Of course, a skill like that is marketable! 

Negotiating is a skill that needs to be practiced and consistently role played to get right.

You have acquired skills that are worth 500k, so maybe you can translate that into an adjacent career path and leverage your existing skills?

Looking ahead, once you secure a tenant, perhaps this is something that should be explored to make the next lease up easier.Also, @Caria Mitchell raised an interesting point in saying: We are experiencing a shortage of qualified applicants, I’ve noticed non-conventional applicants vs qualified applicants that don’t have a voucher or some form of subsidy. 

Strive for constant improvement, adapt to market changes, and continuously learn and develop your skills.

I learned some deep skills that will be useful in other realms.This isn't so much "bird dogging," with them giving you some scraps for bringing them business. 

I recommend you figure out what you want to do, then actually do it to see if you enjoy it, have some skills, etc.

Skills or qualities in no particular order: Communication, patience, empathy, listening ear, backbone, resilience, determination, organization, work ethic, lead a team, thick skin, time management, trusts their instinct, and all-around good ethics!