Rental property investor- beginner question

[Patrick Tiedeken]

Hello! I am a beginner on my journey in southern NJ. I have been on the podcast, reading books, etc. and feel like I’m getting close to ready to purchase my first property.

This post is about assembling a team, specifically a real estate agent... I have a buddy who is a dad, has a full time job and is a realtor. Needless to say he is a busy man and does RE for extra cash and is involved in 3-4 transactions per year. I was planning to use him to help me find the ideal property, but given the market 

My question is this: does anyone have experience using a RE who also has a full time job? Or should I go to a property management company that I plan to use who also has full time agents? Thoughts? Thanks all!