Just because you get the money to pay the mortgage from rents collected doesn't mean the tenant pays your mortgage any more than your boss at work pays the mortgage on your home.You as a couple need to decide what is right for you.

The agent can't collect the commission directly from the tenant.

As a new investor I would caution you to be conservative with your occupancy rate or maybe more accurately- your rent collection rate. 

He could collect 3k/month by letting a big name company put the same board up with absolutely zero stress.

Otherwise, the lender will collect nothing until the court orders the property sold.  

I spent 3 years trying to buy a multi-family with the ideal set up of living in one unit alone while collecting rent from the other units. 

Hello BP Family,I have a tenant who has not paid rent this month because she got into a car accident and waiting on collecting TDI.

I have a tenant whose lease calls for weekly rent collection. 

I'll collect the rent from the units, including him, keep the cash flow for a year, and then maybe have him buy me out in a year buy paying my down payment or by paying half the down payment and splitting the cash flow in half.

The property management company collected two months worth of rental payments from my tenant and has refused to turn over the payments.