Am I on the right track?

[David Chen]

Hey everyone! 

I'm back after lurking around the forums and listening to the podcasts.

I saved up some money (around $70k) and finally deciding to buy my first rental property. I'm looking into single family homes and small multi-family homes (duplex or triplex). I have a real estate agent (same one I used to buy my own home) and she gave me a couple properties. Single family homes are ranging 230-250k and duplex are ranging 250-450k. I am looking around Temple University right now - plan to rent out to college/graduate students. 

Besides my agent, should I also look for a local property management company and local contractors right now? If so, does anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks for reading this! It's good to be back!

-David Chen

[Joseph Cacciapaglia]

It's very unlikely that the agent that sold you your home is going to be the best agent to help you with an investment property. I know there are some great niche shops in Philadelphia, or at least there were when I worked there several years ago. I'd recommend finding one that sells a lot of investment properties in town. They should have MGMT, lender, and contractor contacts to share.