So, realistically, how much time do you expect a PMC to spend getting multiple bids?

Apparently they assist walking you through finding deals, financing them/obtaining business credit, and closing the deal...

I will not comment as to the tax laws and underlying rules - that is a discussion you can have with your tax advisor who presumably you are paying to help you.What I will do is provide practical and business guidance on tracking time.Firstly, there are apps available that can assist with time tracking where you can specifically detail your time, who you met with, etc.

I took the next 5 months to tackle everything myself spending approximately 17k in supplies and tools + paying a plumber and roofer 4k total to fix those issues.

The reason I asked about the amount is I see people always searching for the "perfect note" when they had 100 opportunities pass right by and spend thousands to buy 5 loans a year which they could have done little work and still found similar loansWe buy non performing to get them reperforming and we also have some shorter term RTL's (performing) for cash flow purposes.

I currently work with investors looking to build their portfolio with single-family, long-term rentals while managing for them on the back end, making is hands-free for the investor to still work their W-2 job and live their everyday lives and spend it with family, hobbies, etc. 

Can you spend money on a CRM, automations, VA calling service, a VOIP phone system, etc?

Now I spend 5 years hoping they make their payments and somehow refinance to pay off the balloon. 

On average, you will spend 10% of your income on maintenance per year.

I agree with Miguel, build your system, then hire a virtual assistant and train them how to use it.