And, if that increase in non-branded traffic isn't delivering results, then the added traffic is essentially worthless to you.I hope I addressed all of your questions.

As a Broker myself I think it is silly, its essentially a junk fee or a fee to pay for a transaction coordinator on the deal.

So essentially the total cash I would pay out of my pocket for this 95k cash flowing house would be around 45k?

You didn't mention a niche, so, I added the below links for your review and consideration.http://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2013/02/22/buying-rental-property/ (how to buy a rental property)http://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2014/01/07/flipping-houses/ (step by step guide to flips)https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2015/01/31/ultimate-beginners-guide-real-estate-wholesaling-2/ (Ultimate beginners guide to wholesaling)To be more successful, you simply have to work on the other elements to progress your REI pursuit.

I read that in order to get a second property, you need to demonstrate that you have enough cash reserves to cover the mortgages of both properties for 3 months, essentially having 20k plus on hand. 

As the property ages, repairs become more expensive and replacement of key structural elements even more so.

I won't dispute these assertions one way or the other, but I will say that the contract used to implement the strategy is the key element here. 

That's all well and good, but we don't know if you need all those elements or just one to be illegal.  

To be more successful, you simply have to work on the other elements to progress your REI pursuit.

Transaction funding is typically used for double closing, etc - essentially funding for a few days/hours or less.