Renters see that the whole neighborhood is available for rent and they push to see who will give them the best deal (or which agent will cut them a deal). 

As Pari said, you can learn notes and earn more than that, or if you want mailbox money and do no work, JV with a note investor and you can get 12%+ and your money is not tied up for years but on average 12-18 months (or less) depending on the deal. 

It's slick and can cut down on bad debt as well as reconciliation time after moveout. 

During his speech I researched his background and found out that he's a professional speaker hired by agencies to give presentations, and has no ties to RE.

Speeding up the pickup and drop is helpful in cutting down on time, however the Architect (and their office) are the ones to make the actual drawing changes.

I want to keep away from any short cuts , I am not looking to take large cuts from sellers (I’m a true agent at heart and looking to serve my clients) .

If the concern is max cash out, you can cross collateralize the properties to cut down on costly processing fees.  

My experience has been the more units that you can tie into a property the better the cash flow is, although I will say that once the 5 unit is completed (renovating it myself) we will cash out refi it and I will make about $30-40k for my hard work.  

So it will add time, and then you have to cut up and throw out big boxes. 

Marketing and home improvement activities may count as well, provided they are directly tied to property operations.2.Time Spent by OthersThis ties back to keeping a logbook.