Transitioning to Property Management

[Amy E.]

I've started investing in SFR's in 2014. I've got six right now, and I am thinking about crying "uncle" and hiring a property management agency. I work full time, and the rentals are making a ton but not enough for me to get out of my 9-5 to manage them full time. I feel like I can't expand anymore unless I get help, and to be honest I'm kinda tired of doing it myself (why is it that EVERY time I go out of town, a crisis happens....seriously, every time). I've got decent tenants now, and not a whole lot of turnover, but due to some other life factors its getting to be too much for me.

That said, I'm not sure how to find a good property management company.  I'm in a somewhat rural area, and my state requires that property managers be real estate brokers.  So pretty much all the local realtors also manage property, but it does not appear that they do it well.  For example, when I go to their websites to see the properties available to rent, they are almost all rundown and not properly taken care of.  I know that's not necessarily a reflection on the manager (I mean, if the owner won't pay for the repairs, that's on them), but it doesn't fill me with confidence in their abilities, either.

How do I go about finding a good property manager?