And you can do even better if you have more volume. 

Jumbo Mortgages are down 12% by volume compared to last year. 

There is a trade off where volume becomes more of a ball and chain than just "more money". 

It depends on the insurance company and rates you are going for.For example some insurance companies only insure brick buildings in certain areas built within the last 20 years.The reasoning is you get ultra low rates by having a low risk pool of properties.Insurance companies have told me with buildings 30 years or older some do not like to insure unless all mechanicals,plumbing,electrical has been replaced.The reason is statistics shows a high volume of claims happen after that age from things wearing out.With 4 units or less many just get the cheaper fire and dwelling coverage instead of a commercial policy.If the premium low rate insurers won't touch you there are companies who will give the policy to more properties deemed high risk but the policy of course will be higher and usually the deductible is too.

Every case is certainly different, and I'm not doing a huge volume.

Personally, I couldn't imagine any off-the-shelf product that would do anything other than completely turn my current business upside-down and require months of integration.What kind of volume are you doing?

They are more expensive than vinyl peel and stick tile, but well worth the extra cost.We save money on volume because we use the same contractors for all our jobs, so we get good pricing from them and in return we keep our contractors busy all year around.You need to understand your market really well and decide what niche you feel comfortable with.Best wishes for your future success.Regards,Sharad

For a volume like that you would get a discount but not like you would by dealing directly with a cabinet wholesaler.  

Is there a standard volume of units or some kind of metric to gauge when a company should hire an assistant PM?

I have looked at enough houses and do enough volume that if I am off, it won't kill me.