As a side note, I know there can be some issues with a landlord "acting as a utility company".

Could he enter into partnership with us forming a whole new company where he contributes the property as equity and then we refinance the property at the price we agree on and we use that money to pay him as a silent partner.

I also have an apartment building with co-investors, managed by a PM company - haven't had any problems (so far).I gave examples of horror stories but also there are millions of investors who do well and don't have these nightmare issues.

The top sponsors for Real Estate meetups are lenders and title companies.

As for fees, your typical STR management company down here will be in the 15-20% range plus your regular costs to run a STR (consumables, towels, maintenance, etc.).

I was wondering if there are any major differences in lending companies that work with home equity lines of credit (heloc)?

Hey Mark, Our property management company uses it and it has been a great tool to increase efficiency for showing properties.

I have called around in my area and it seems like Property Management companies charge 10% of the gross Rent. 

How do you suppose a property management company would deal with any of this?

Our last step is running a forensic audit of the company (S - Corp) and then we will write up the contract to purchase.