Should I use a property manager?

[Nathan Broschinsky]

I'm brand new to real estate investing, like I haven't made my first deal yet, but hopefully that will happen soon!  Anyway, I'm an optometrist and plan on investing as more of side hustle than a full-time job.  At least for now...  I've heard people suggest to not use a property manager, at least not initially, so you can keep more of the profit.  I kind of think it might be wise for me to use a property manager since this is more a side gig for me and, although I may not make as much money, I wouldn't need to be as involved in my properties.  Am I thinking about this correctly?  Does anyone have any insight for me?  Thanks in advance!

[Jonathan Greene]

Everyone who gets into REI and does not want to play an active role will always be losing money that they can't see and will never know through things like PM and many other oversights that will go unnoticed. PM can definitely help, but choosing the wrong one will cost you more than money. If you leave them in charge of tenants, you are relying on them to fix everything on time and find the right tenants and that is a lot to expect from anyone besides yourself since your interests are not aligned. PM interests are getting it rented right away and quick fixing things because it's not their building. With that said, there are great PM companies, but it makes no sense to me to use PM on real estate that you are near. You would just be throwing 10 pct away for no reason other than you don't want to do it. Maybe find an investment vehicle that you will have more interest in being a participant in.