They charge as much as anyone else, but we've found them reliable.

Without taking advantage of people, but charging a "fair market rate" I can do quite well with it. 

The other issue is that you are unable to dictate who pays for the online tenant screening... now the applicants should always be paying for their own screening but think in terms of applicants wanting to fill your application during the showing and pay for the screening right then and there. 

@Travis Washington I dont know the rental comps there but if you do choose to add the fence, you can target different markets such as pet owners who would be willing to pay extra for the fence for their dogs plus you can charge a pet fee.

You probably wouldn't need a "general" contractor, who (like me), would subcontract plumbing/electrical/HVAC work, though some towns permit HVAC work to be put on a general "building" permit.I'm not entirely sure what plumbing and HVAC work the previous contractor did but you may (sometimes) have issues with plumbers and HVAC guys taking over or signing off on work done by previous contractors that they can't or don't want to put their name behind (or they may charge you more simply for doing this)... depends on the company/person, and on the nature of the work done.

J Scott, No we do not charge for any management time that was a typo. 

One of the great things about them is they charge by the month and you can change your policy and terms on a monthly basis also.So, yes, you'll pay a higher premium for any month(s) the property is vacant. 

I was in contact with multiple different lenders, but given how painful each of the various loan applications are to fill out, I got lazy and didn't bother to follow-through to the point where I could get accurate quotes.

Are there ways to automate the payment process of monthly charges?

Rather than sharing a commission, the agent is just reducing what they charge.