They also have a nice backing of partner contractors that they have screened and vetted for quality. 

Anything over $300k will be a really nice house but there is less cash flow and it will likely make a less desirable rental for several reasons. 

I think it would be nice to not have a mortgage payment at the age of 34 but my worry is it might be smarter to have 2 homes vs 1 in 30 years.

Perhaps a nice 1950's built bungalow.Always hire a 3rd party property inspector to give you an unbiased feel for the home.

I would probably do it in a really nice walkable neighborhood and likely pay a bit of a premium since I'd be living there.

One last thought would be to use a virtual assistant to call and vet contractors...I use UpWork, but there are sever VA firms that could do it...pay $50 and come home to a nice tidy spreadsheet with contractors information awaiting your approval. 

It’s 2100 sq ft, has a yard, 2 car garage, and are in a really nice neighborhood.

Another friend told me he makes between $70-$80K each year off of his rental property, however, he has a very, very nice home with 6 bedrooms, a sauna, a lake and it's near Hunter ski mountain so he pretty much gets year-round rentals.

Basically looking to forge a nice working relationship in this market with a reputable and reliable person in the industry. 

And it gives a range and median, so if your unit is particularly remodeled and nice you can use the upper end of that range as an estimate, or if your unit is particularly small or a little rough around the edges you can use the lower end of that range to estimate market rent for that unit.MLS could be useful too because you can view the non-active (presumably rented) listings as opposed to the active ones, but you'll need to network with a licensed agent who has MLS access in that market and have them run those numbers for you.