If you are going to have this asset for a long time it'll be worth the peace of mind knowing its updated. 

well once pandora's box has been opened like this it becomes out of investors control.

It is a tough market but the money is insane so people just open business and run until they get caught and sell and open again. 

Once I placed an ad for a 1BR apt, an open house and people started coming.

open to any advice, recommendations or past experiences.  

I'm seeking to be in an environment with like minded individuals to learn and network to grow my portfolio and eventually network to collaborate on larger deals once I have a better understanding of the commercial side. 

And we went in eyes wide open, intentionally inveting in class D, not sliding into it as demographics changed. 

I am also open to partnering on a transaction. 

I do it manually (and keep in mind, it also depends on the state and location - VRBO does for some and not for others, Airbnb does for some and not for others) I know many folks happy with Avalara though. 

While flips don’t usually qualify for 1031 exchanges, holding a property as a rental first might open this option.