Put away at least 10% of every paycheck while you decrease expenses.

Joining a team may also decrease the total costs (marketing, fees, etc..) 

The median $/SF has remained in a tight band of $1.16/SF and $1.20/SF throughout 2025.Rentals - Availability by MonthThe number of homes for rent continued to decrease MoM, which is unusual for the time of year (it usually rises towards the end of the year).Rentals - Median Time to RentMedian days to rent decreased MoM, a bit unusual for December.Rentals - Months of SupplyInventory decreased MoM to about 1.7 months, indicating a firm landlord’s market.Sales - Months of SupplySales inventory has remained in a tight band of between 2 and 3 months throughout 2025, except for December, when it dropped to 1.8 months.

I will also say, it provides a lot more functionality than just base prices (im sure other products do also). it can decrease prices as dates get closer to encourage bookings, minimum night bookings, increase prices when rentals in the area are booked.

EXAMPLE: I haven't cut my own lawn in over 10 years because I can get it done significantly cheaper than what I make per hour.The other component to keep in mind is landlords typically hire PMCs for one of two reasons:1) No time to properly manage2) No expertise to properly manage- Note: if you have enough time you can learn the needed expertise.Everyone wants to focus on how supposedly "easy" it is to manage rentals.The reality is:1) The difficulty & required time increases as the property/tenant quality decreases with Class A => Class B => Class C => Class D2) It only takes one bad tenant, bad contractor/handyman or mistake that leads to a lawsuit to cost a landlord SIGNIFICANTLY MORE than the cost of a PMC.What Class of rental do you have?

If the price is decreased by say $10k because the seller is not paying $10k buyers agent commission, then the buyer can borrow based on an amount $10k lower and must pay the $10k out of pocket.  

Some sellers refuse to understand that when inventory is up in a market, prices decrease.

I’m in 3 markets and rent is decreasing about $100-$200/month in one of mine (Dallas).

Most will say no, but you'll learn deal evaluation fast and build that "investor mindset" muscle.

You could possibly decrease your 401k savings (which would increase your taxable income), and shift this savings over to your brokerage account.