It is not always rationally explained. 

However, there IS a company (Plastix I believe) that acts as the middle man such that you can get around the issue entirely. 

From what I hear, when everything is going good and your tenant is a normal human being who is rational, self mgmt is the way to go.  

And the above examples I don't think are good analogies - renting a crane and using it for other productive work is not the same thing as renting something and just pocketing the middle man fee.

You see, I thought I was speaking to a rational human being. 

To be successfull you need a spirit inside of you that will allow you to objectively view a situation, make a rational decision, have a good math, business, and negotiating backgrounds, and in my opinion the two biggest attributes that are needed are the ability to make a decision (it sounds easy but it iw harder than most can possibly believe).

(It may look good on paper but not in real life) If you expect to cashflow on a $30K property and are only at 2% rent vs purchase price ration - watch out.

I’m looking for confirmation that I’m not crazy and this is a rational deal (sure it’s not amazing, but decent).So, am I crazy?

As always, car purchase should be rational and emotional purchase at the same time.

Sometimes the reason(s) lies outside of rational or logic.