Advice Needed - Out of State Investor

[Aaron Bernbach]

Hello BP,  

I'm going to be purchasing my first Buy and Hold Investment property with in the next 6 months. It will be out of state and i'm not interested in going the Turn-key route.  I've been researching cities and narrowed it down to a handful.  Once I have selected a city I will start making phone calls in the hopes of building a good team to work with in that city.  

Should I start by finding a good property manager? Or a Real Estate Agent?

Thanks for your help.

Aaron