Last I checked Redfin was charging 4% commission total to be split between buyer and seller agents before other fees.

I have been self managing for years now, and I started out creating my own leases- I wasn't a realtor at the time.

Add cash flow and equity pay down for total return.  

I intended to BRRRR the property & spent about $40k total to fix it up.

That will give you a good baseline to start from.You can also use AirDNA by buying the specific area to drill down farther.Try https://www.awning.com/airbnb-estimator as well.

-If we sell after year 2, do we claim 250k(yr 1) and 125k(yr 2 with half the house rented) for total deduction of 325k gain? 

Go to meetups in your area and start making contacts.

Ideally, want to replace all of my income, but I'll start small.

If you know anything about building in Philly the plans and permits can be the hardest part of the project with it often taking many months to get everything in place just to be able to start construction.

I live in San Diego and Im also looking to start investing out of state with little to no experience.