Keep in mind your largest expense is property tax, and there’s a fixed amount it increases.

I can assure you that for the good agents who stay in this business, we are far more focused on providing a great service, helping navigate perhaps the largest purchase/sale someone will ever make in their life, acting as a fiduciary to our clients best interest, all while creating a long lasting relationship that will hopefully trickle down through the generations to help us sustain our business. 

I picked my brokerage/office by first choosing the company with the largest market share in my metro area.

It had also undergone some renovations, but needed quite a bit more, especially in the largest apartment, which was occupied by a section 8 family that trashed it and then moved out a year later.

Billings is unique as it is largest city, it also gets some impact from ND oil boom (then bust, now starting to boom again). 

If my goal in selling the home is to get top dollar I want to expose my home to the largest buyer pool possible to hopefully create competition on the home and sell quickly for more money.

Then I found out what was the top office location of that brokerage that was close to me. ( The actual top office of the #1 brokerage in the metro area, and 3rd largest brokerage in thencountry, was coincidentally 5 minutes from my house, so that helped) I joined that office, then I studied the businesses of rhe agents in that office, and copied them.

Seems that most national lenders draw a hard line at 4 financed properties.We plan to live in the new residence for a long time, and it will be our largest loan to date. 

@Amanda Roderick, my grandfather's rentals are located in Bayamon, one of the largest and most populated cities.

I started with small multifamly properties, and am growing into larger complexes - my largest now is 24 units, and I'm planning on selling and upgrading again next Spring.