Actually, I'm very familiar with forums, because my first professional job was actually as the Super Moderator (one step below Administrator) of a forum dedicated to writing programs (gray area in their Terms of Service but shhh) to automate making virtual money on Neopets.com when I was 12 years old.

Sign up for his automated emails.

The most cost effective automation email responder is a program called ActiveCampaign, if you have any questions @Lamar Cannon let me know

There are ways to get around it, like automated lock box codes and stuff like that.

Even the automated systems cannot account for things like customer service, what kind of experience you are bringing guests, review status, etc. 

If you google it, you should find a site that has automated the process and thus is cheaper than using an attorney.

Now, I'm not against hard work, but the idea of (at least trying) automating the acquisition process immediately captured my attention.

There are several free CRM tools that you can use that will help you automate everything.

Setup a automated MLS listing via your Agent (Make sure you have an agent who is ideally an investor and a property manager themselves) BP members and PODcasts has plenty of info on how to and where to get money/deal/contractors and the whole thing. 

His automation ideas sound great, but that could end up being a lot of homework finding what's the most cost-effective.