. - Long term, scale this both locally and nationally (I'm sure that's the end goal for a lot of folks ;))- Capital is not an issue as I have readily available financing option for all-cash deals thanks!

I know I'd be giving up some of the value but I'd be okay with that if it was a mutually beneficial partnership that could be scaled with revenue sharing throughout the rental period and on any upside from a refinance or sale. 

Looking to scale, I want to go BIG!

It resets my cost scale, and I never take the lowest bid.

I believe the point where you get enough scale tends to be right around 100 units from all that I have read.

My next goal is to figure out how to scale efficiently. 

That would allow considerable flexibilty for an ordinary owner or small investor (who could theoretically bounce back and forth between two 3-unit "single family" homes) but would not allow for large scale investment to compete with normal-ish people wanting to purchase a detached home.   2 out of 5 years is also how long you have to occupy a home to get the capital gains exemption on sale IIRC.   

This process absolutely has flaws, to name a few:1. it doesn't scale at all2. it only works in certain geographic markets3. it usually only works on cash flow houses leaving you out of appreciation gains (the real money maker in RE)4. it ONLY works when buying distressed properties.

If I had the same opportunity now, I would take it because the scale is not really a problem with a PM, it would have been a good learning experience for me, and you can still get some significant tax advantages with commercial loans.

I wish I had the scale to have my own dedicated handyman, but I don't.