Forget any market where you have to pay $500K+ to buy a SFR and get all the stars to align perfectly to add any value

am concerned that their incentives are not really aligned with ours, for example they get paid even if there is vacancyMost PMs charge only on gross rents, so their incentive is perfectly aligned with yours. 

What you do needs to be aligned with your goal.

My business does, however, allow me to acquire real assets and the Guide to Investing is completely aligned with the way I see the world.Happy reading!

Publish what those rents are and indicate that you will be moving all rents to better align with the market. 

Make sure your taxes are aligned.

As an investor and a buyer, you need to realize very few of them are aligned with your interests, and all will tell you they are. 

What you described aligns perfectly with my goals!

A GC is generally a project manager that aligns resources, labor and schedule. 

If you can align yourself with an excellent sponsor (ask for references), you may be able to achieve your RE objectives while riding on the back of someone who is already doing it in the markets in which you have interest.Also, if this sounds intriguing, ask the sponsor to provide you with examples of deals they have done...with an eye toward seeing what they originally projected vs their actual performance.