Investing in real estate while living abroad

[Amandeep H.]

Hi, I am from Canada. I never invested before. I want my first investment to be real estate as it can produce monthly income. I have read that people use real estate to help  them during retirement instead of relying on a retirement plan like 401 K or RRSP. I was thinking to get real estate to fund my retirement.  

I will be working as an English teacher in China this year. My plan is to work in different countries. So I will work 2-3 years in China, 2-3 years in Japan, 2-3 years in Thailand, etc.  I do not want to live in Canada anymore because I want to live  in other countries. 

I was thinking to buy real estate in Canada and  other countries that I will be living in.  I do not want to sell them. The only problem is that I have to hire somebody to look after the property and to collect rent for me. The problem with hiring a property manager is that there is a high risk of deceiving you. Unfortunately, there is not many trustworthy people. However, property manager is the only answer because I will not know anybody in that country. 

Q1: Based on my goals and my concern with property managers, is it worth me investing in real estate? What investments I should consider instead? I am looking for investments that can support me for retirement. 

Q2: Do you know where I can find reputable, trustworthy property managers? Is it recommend to get property managers? 

Thank you so much for your time and consideration in reading this message.