After 15 years with a traditional brokerage, I now feel foolish for the low commission splits that I  received due to the need for the brokerage pay for all that bricks and mortar- who goes to an office to buy real estate?  

What are some things to pay attention to / negotiate?

If you need financial help, ask under the "Finance, Tax, and Legal" forum.

I currently have student loan debt of $70k that I am trying to focus and pay off completely within 3 years.

You will pay higher financing fees etc.

You do need Form 4797 to calculate and report depreciation recapture and pay tax on this portion. 

How do you keep track of insurances expirations, taxes dates, equity growth per house, rental growth in your area ? 

Either they did not do their homework right (appraisal comes in lower than their estimate, insurance/taxes are higher than their estimate, property did not have clear title, and/or the property has deferred maintenance) or they are shopping without having any experience in the industry. 

But I have no interest in doing any of those things because I'm busy, so I pay someone else to do these tasks for me.  

.- Watch out for residential tax exemptions, and be aware of which towns / cities have them.