I've only heard this recently in a book I read, and by a closing agent from a title company.

Odor abatement companies charge that much because they will have a machine and an enclosed system in place to suck the odor and source dry so it will not come back, my opinion is you are stuck with that or finding someone who doesn't mind the odor.

I currently work for a luxury building materials company and my commute is about an hour and a half each way every day.

How do go about making contacts at insurance companies or corporate relocation agencies?  

Alternative is to use an Auction company . 

if you're looking at 1-4 unit properties, don't kill yourself trying to create an LLC just yet. find your lender first then see if they'll require you to close in an LLC or not. single-member LLCs do not provide as much legal protection as we would like to think, so if that's your reasoning for wanting to create one right off the bat, that's just something to consider. as far as a business license, AFTER you close on the property, call the town hall and ask if they want you to have one there bc you're collecting rent there. if you're using a PM company, they will probably say no. :)

If we built one of these spec homes (owned as our company), and then did a 1031 exchange under our personal names, is that viable because the parties are two separate tax entities?

You pay a flat rate (but there are often add-ons), you create the listing/wording and take great pictures, you send it to the company, they put it on MLS. 

@Shivani KumarLet’s say they have to get a pest control company to do something and it’s a third party company - they will charge 5% which is very common as they have management to bill and coordinate that activityMany places I see this 10-15%I would make sure to check indemnifications clause with an attorney

Each city has is own ordinances from code and violations enforcement to yes Airbnb (short-term rental or not).Then you need the best management company is the blood of you business.