Investors are desperate to find "deals" and buying at auction feels like a deal, even if it's not.I've been to auctions where people pay market price for a home that is clearly a fixer-upper, meaning they will be under water after renovation, even if they don't consider the cost of their own labor.

One we just took on under management required a $175 admin fee to register the condo as a rental with the HOA. 

My wife and I would like to buy a rental next year (most likely using a DSCR loan, to dodge the DTI requirement), but I'm not completely sure if that would get us stuck down the road.

I like option #2 but you might not be able to buy too many homes with just $75,000.You might be able to get into some decent properties in the $200,000 range in those cities which would require 20% down which is $40,000.If you had $25,000 ontop of the $75,000 HELOC, you might be afford the downpayment, closing costs and a small rehab budget.Best of luck!

From my perspective a 6% commission has never been required.

One of the brokers said he could send me dealflow but required that I sign a non exclusive representation agreement.

Look for a location that has attractions beyond skiing, such as hiking, biking, or water sports.Rental management: You'll need to decide whether you want to manage the rental yourself or hire a property management company.

Should I request a receipt for this charge, even though it's below $600 and may not require a 1099 form?

All 3 typically have different requirements. 

Texas law concerning series LLC specifies that separate records and bank accounts are NOT required for each series for the separation of each series liability to be recognized in court.