Use a Property Manager When Retired Early?

[Jayse Brock]

I was fortunate to be able to retire early at 32 from the sale of a business. So I am free most of the day while my kids are in school and I generally have a flexible schedule. I am working on building a portfolio of homes, but for now I just have one long term rental (closing in a week) and an Airbnb rental above my detached garage.

My question is should I still get a property manager for this type of situation? I want to maximize cash flow/return and would probably fix or address most issues myself starting out to avoid paying contractors. I am fairly handy, and remodeled my previous home myself, as well as fixed simple to intermediate electrical, plumbing and HVAC problems.

Part of me thinks that a good PM can help mitigate liability or legal issues, and that hiring licensed contractors will also help with liability, and it’s just the price to pay to keep things with a paper trail. But then the other part of me feels like I would be paying for things I can do myself, which would help me with costs.

Would it still be worth it to get a PM? And why?