New Member from Portland, OR

[Amber Ziring]

I'm Amber and am starting as a land lord in November. We bought a new house for ourselves and are keeping the previous house as a rental. Our long term goal is to use it to pay for our kids' college. I was a social worker back in the day so I'm confident about screening folks but worry that I might end up being too soft on problem tenants. Thoughts and advice on getting started are appreciated!

[JR Hinds]

Some people will disagree with me on this, but I'd get a professional property manager as soon as possible. It's so difficult to stay on top of landlord-tenant laws. And if you know you're too soft, you'll definitely cost yourself more money than a good property manager. Your time is too valuable to spend it managing property. At 8 or 10% of rents, it's almost a no-brainer.