Offer them a fixed interest rate plus a performance bonus that is based on the profit (i.e. 25% of the net profit).One of the nice things about dealing with private individuals and not HML's is that you can get creative.

Who determines how much mark up he can put on his employees' labor, how how much labor is considered reasonable for any particular task?

They just don't have the ability to move the needle at the park, nor will they care as much as you do as the owner, so you will be left disappointed with their lack of performance. 

REI is pretty far from rocket science and won't take long to learn how to perform some basic financial analysis.Otherwise, you are going to fall squarely in the camp this guy posted about:https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/48/topics/785275-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-bro-investorThank you for your kind reply.

How much more could you succeed if you did this one simple task?

I learned a lot about the prices for jobs around the house, etc.I also learned that if your realtor, tenant, contractor or lender is not performing at the level you want them to, do not hesitate on replacing them.Do not believe everything a person says, have them show you rather than to blindly trust what they say.

I love the idea of delegation/automation/systems in business (and use quite a few) but go back and forth on what is delegatable vs. what is a core task that needs to be taken on individually. 

Any legal licensed agent could perform a LEGITIMATE SERVICE even if they wanted to charge a 15% listing fee.

I was wondering how the process is performed and what are good questions I should be asking.

Hello Matthew I have been appraising in Lexington for over 20 years and I can tell from experience of not only doing alot of appraisals but also having had 100's of appraisals performed on my own properties over the years not only do appraisers vary from state to state, but also from appraiser to appraiser in the same area.