Soon-to-be first time landlord looking for advice

[Iwona Stanek]

Hello,I am planning on renting out my townhouse in South Jersey because of a job relocation to another state. I don't think I have the bandwidth to be a remote landlord, so I'd like a property management group take care of my tenants/townhouse for me. I'm a bit worried about signing a contract with a property management group that acts as though they'll do a great job, but then becomes incredibly difficult to work with when it matters.

I'm wonder what kind of questions I should be asking when consulting with different companies (other than "what's your fee?"). Also, should I get a real estate attorney to review the contract before I sign it? Is that worth it? Anyone have any "lessons learned" from working with property management groups?

P.S. My job relocation covers 3 years of property management fees so I am less concerned about the cost and more about the level of service that I and the tenant will be happy with.