After searching for properties for 5 months now, having a deal fall threw the cracks due to an out of whack appraisal, and my limited budget, I am concerned that the next property will be the same or worse.

I find them to be heads and tails above most of the attorney closers simply because they have huge budgets and unbelievable customer service.Like we never go to a closing.. and checks are all hand delivered for our commissions from couriers.. the title company pays for... 24/7 access to their data bases if your a big enough account.customer service dial in and get a trio in 90 seconds.. in our area that is a copy of the last recorded deed the tax information from the county and a plat map... so in 90 seconds you know who owns it all the tax info and a plat map.. all for free.then for  me as a land developer there is the whole developers service department they run our plats do all sorts of work all for free. 

Hire an agent for half the rent as a commission and state that you want them to physically be present for showings or make sure you're available to show the property if hiring an agent or property manager is not in your budget.

If I buy the property, let's say, for $270k+$147k (Reno budget) +$5k (carrying costs) = I am all in at $422k.

If you are using hard money you need to budget for the points and fees as well as traditional third party closing fees.Repairs: The money it is going to take you to rehab the property plus an extra 10% of estimated repair costs to account for unexpected repairs.Holdings Costs: Here is where a lot of investors get tripped up.

I'd love to own the dirt but I am on a budget and avoiding the capx of land purchase actually sounds great.

I have had the opportunity to meet great people on here, @Rob Suhai showed me a property in Hopatcong, NJ however it was a SERIOUS 'fixer-upper' and out of my budget when it came to renovations. 

It certainly does on purchase price, and perhaps neighborhood, but the multifamily aspect makes the prospective rent so absurd that it might be a good deal anyway.Purchase price: $40,000Taxes: $600/yearUnits: Three 2/1 unitsMarket rent: $550/unitEven with a generous capex budget, you can find a lot of room for cash flow when you're getting 4% rent/value ratio.

The cost is about what you have budgeted for repairs.  

I'm also pointing out that FB isn't the only source for marketing - there are plenty of potential sources of leads, it just takes time, effort, and marketing budget to test.