So we went to switch to an open house model so each person has a realtor escort, now the tenant is saying that that is too intrusive to her family and it is not an option.  

I'll side with their research and mathematical modeling and not pay them and just pay for repairs/replacements myself. 

Many of the older furnaces are better built with cast iron heat exchanges, versus steel in later models and have no electronics to fail.

I would highly recommend an Independent Agent with a good reputation and expertise in landlord properties.

Let's do the math - presuming a 50/50 split between the brokerage and agent (my best guess)Their model: a $400,000 home generates $4,000 in gross commissions and $2,000 for the agent.  

We had a tenant for 18 months.  She was never late and caused no problems.  Last month, she informed us she had purchased a house.  She was only 5 months into her lease.  We posted the property for rent immediately, b...

The goal of the research was to model secondary and tertiary markets that were similar to areas like Raleigh, NC, Salt Lake City, UT and other secondary/tertiary markets that had seen major growth since the recession; then try to pinpoint where the institutional capital started to emerge. https://1drv.ms/f/s!

In our model, we are assuming refinancing the first two properties after Year 1 by cashing out our initial $1M investment in each, and then reinvesting that $1M into another 30-40 unit complex at a ~$3M price.Basically: Year 1: Two properties at $1M eachYear 2: Refinance both properties, get initial $2M out of each property, and reinvest in another 2 like properties (4 properties at end of Year 2)Year 3: Refinance both recent properties, get initial $2M out of each property, and reinvest in another 2 like properties (6 properties at end of Year 3)Year 4: Refinance both recent properties, get initial $2M out of each property, and reinvest in another 2 like properties (8 properties at end of Year 4)Our model is to do this until Year 10. 

There may be one-offs but that is not a business model. 

They have not taken an interest to know your specific situation and goals for their expertise to see if they are a fit.