The gap in the middle
A four-unit building generates roughly four times the maintenance calls of a house and none of the attention of a 200-unit complex. Owners in this bracket routinely end up self-managing by default, which works until it very suddenly does not — usually during a freeze or an eviction.
How the flat fee works at scale
Per-unit pricing steps down as the portfolio grows, which is the right shape for multi-family because the marginal unit genuinely is cheaper to manage when it shares a roof and a parking lot with the others. See pricing.
Turnover is the number that matters
In small multi-family, turnover cost dominates everything else. Two avoidable move-outs a year on a fourplex will outweigh almost any fee difference between managers. Retention — responsive maintenance, consistent communication, renewals handled before they lapse — is where the money actually is.