Flipping California properties 200-500 acquisition price points with normalized net returns of 15% has allowed us to capture between 30k-75K per project average to around 52.5K per project.

I would not be in the least bit concerned but if you are you should pull out all the equity from the properties.Invest it in a REIT or income fund and it should easily will double the return it is presently earning.  

I see becoming an Agent as a sacrifice of time, energy, and money but in return I get all of the opportunities that come with holding the license. 

Whether that's the buying logistics, what the returns can be with a partnership, and someone's own comfort levels or desire to deal with partners.

It appears that short-term corporate rentals (i.e. at least 30 days, but no more than 3-4 months) tend to have higher returns (principally in terms of monthly cash flow) when compared to traditional long-term residential rentals.

It's how do we prepare our tax return next year so that we actually qualify for the next property. 

If you are going to manage the property yourself then you must remember that any savings from managing yourself is NOT a Return On Investment.

If you "Borrow" $100 today, and the stock markets skyrocket, you have to "pay yourself back" for amount that the stock has skyrocketed for (which may end up being much higher than whatever return you make on real estate).  

If so, I'm curious if you are pleased with the services they have provided as your property managers, and if you are "surviving" with the low returns that their turn-key solution offers. 

So how do you push rents for a better return?