One person booked at the normal rate instead of what we quoted and the other somehow had a pet fee attached which we still don’t understand since we do not have that as an option.  

I know of one person in Oregon doing it, but he doesn’t want to share how it’s done.

Personally I have 25 units and scaling up and generally speaking it takes me about 5 hours per month to do everything.

Standard practice and the veriage should prohibit the person from doing any deals directly with the parties you are in negotiation with. 

As that will at least help folks that you reach out to know that you are a real person, with a picture and professional bio.

As for networking in general, once again, any advice on communicating and building relationships that will accelerate my growth is very greatly appreciated.

I always recommend that anyone getting started attend in person meet ups.

Thanks @Johnny MartinMy suggestion is to partner with a like minded person... and preferably someone like a family member who really knows you... a dad... an uncle, etc that understands the value of passive investing.  

That's what the OP here has been up against.You can find decent cashflow on paper in Syracuse right now, but not in areas expected to benefit from Micron's growth.

I personally wouldn't entertain the gift option as I think its an unnecessary step and it can take significantly longer.