At that time it was a buyer's market and it was impossible to sell the place FSBO at a non-short-sale price and realtors were actually turning me away because my place didn't have the curb appeal that they thought they would need to attract the few buyers there were in the market (opposite conditions to today where every realtor is thirsty after a seller lead!) 

ERGO they use folks in the Philippines and other parts of the world to read off of a script.. the difference is they have to pay them by the hour .. so for you no skin off their nose you dont produce does not cost them anything. 

I considered selling it but finding a house with similar specs puts us back in the 450-500k range and i figured a 347k loan looked more attractive, plus its a house we like.

Does the local government take steps to attract businesses?

Leverage is the biggest reason why real estate investing so attractive.  

The high ceilings, school district and floor plan made this deal real attractive.

They’ll price it attractively, remove the address and contact information, and wait for someone to message them through the site’s messaging portal.The reality is that the rental market is very competitive.

Although we likely find better deals than OOS investors with our relationships, you can still purchase solid deals on the MLS that produce 10% cash on cash and in areas that are gentrifying and growing.

will help command greater rent which will bring you increased cash flow and be even more attractive to a potential seller.  

I have since then started to lower my rent slightly so that I can attract better tenants.