New Investor in Northern VA

[Travis T.]

Hi everyone!

My name is Travis, and I live in Northern Virginia.  My wife and I just purchased our second house in the area after living in our first house for 5 years.  We kept the first house, and are currently renting it.  My long-term plan is to find other properties to invest in over the next 10 years and eventually make property investing and management my full-time occupation.  My wife is a successful realtor in the area which I think will be a huge benefit to that plan.

I've been listening to the BP podcast for a while now trying to pickup as many tips as possible in addition to reading the forums.  Our transition from living in to renting our current rental property was pretty rushed and not nearly as well thought out as it should have been.  Luckily, we have not had any issues because of it but I want to put much more thought into the next round of tenants.  We are currently soliciting for new tenants and I'd love to hear any suggestions for a new-ish landlord.  The first of many things I'm trying to tackle is whether an online rent payment service is worth it, and if anyone has recommendations for one.  I'd love to hear pros and cons from other active landlords as well as real-world experience with the online collection companies.

Look forward to working with you in the future.

Travis T.