I have no idea what car dealerships bring in monthly so I am not sure if they could afford a lease. 

A few stick it out over the decades and probably do a fantastic business.

I am starting to research the idea of starting one. 

But, besides competition, why would I, or any other appraiser want to share my income when business is generally scarce at the moment. 

I gave him some ideas, (OKC, Omaha, parts of TX) and he was dead set on the south.Thought this would be an interesting question that if you want to build a portfolio but only could target homes under 250k to hold as rentals, where would you look? 

The best contacts are those who also value growing their networks and who are clear on their business needs (e.g., funding, partnerships, access to deals, vendor recommendations, etc.).

I didn't dismiss the idea of looking into getting into wholesaling, but you have to deal with earnest money deposits and they are super expensive.

I have worked the business for 1.5 years and know the market...

More standard income variations are: asset depletion (using reserve distributions as the proposed income) or average personal or business bank statement deposits over a 12-24-36 month period. 

Flat fee and fee-only advisors don't work off of a commission-based business model.