Dilemma - Please read.

[Lenny Shwartz]

Here is my dilemma. I have been a real estate investor for 22 years, at the height of my investing I was able to maintain 21 properties by myself with some aggravation, but overall it was smooth, since I had my own business on the side, I could dedicate a lot of time to the properties. 

Present day, I have 9 properties that don't take up a lot of my time. I have a full time job that is fairly easy to do. In the last couple of weeks I was able to find a partner that I have known for about 6 years and she has 18 properties, which she is looking to sell them to me over the next 3 to 5 years. Since there will be a total of 27 properties to take care of and I really enjoy my job, I'm not sure if I should hire a property manager to take care of the properties and keep my job with benefits or quit my job and just focus on the 27 properties myself and that would be my full time job. Also, the 9 properties are within 2 miles of each other, her properties are all scattered around Broward County. Thanks for any input.  

[Larry Turowski]

@Lenny Shwartz I am in a similar situation, full time job, 13 properties.  I don't have time for even those.  But I just don't trust property management companies.  So I ended up hiring an "assistant."  She shows properties, checks up on them, handles tenant issues, and escorts contractors, inspectors, etc.  It is more cost effective than a property management company, she does exactly what I ask her to do, and I still have my finger on the pulse of my properties.