First time landlord - should I use a broker and property manager?

[Charles W.]

I am thinking of renting out my house in CA. I’ve seen people who DIY from posting to managing the property, and then there are those who use property managers and brokers. I Would like to understand and assess the pros and cons of DIY vs paying someone to do it.

A little more about the property: 

1. I wont be moving too far away, will be within a 30 minutes radius 

2. Will probably be able to rent the place out for around $5k in rent before expenses 

3. Main reason around DIY is obv it’s cheaper, and maybe I can learn more by doing 

4. Main reason around hiring someone would be learning how to do things since it will be the first time. Plus they can market, handle on call problems, and write the lease, screen tenants for me. Con is obv it’s more expensive and they may/may not do a better job. 

5. I don’t want to deal with things some of the headaches (things getting broken, tenant destroying house, legal issues, etc). So maybe having someone else manage would mitigate that?

Would like to hear from those who have gone through the process and what your preferences are. Thank you!