New guy in St. Louis real estate

[Donald S.]

Hi everyone! I'm starting off in the real estate world after a long time stock market investing and w-2 work. Still doing the W-2 so I can keep steady income. 

I'm hoping to find and close on my first deal before the end of the year on a BRRRR house.

Looking to connect and build business relationships with lenders, other landlord investors, wholesales, and pretty much anyone else. Been doing a ton of learning and reading and running numbers, so soon I'll be able to put that into practice. 

Question for landlords, how did you come up with your first lease? copy from someone else in the same area, hire a lawyer, PM company, type one up yourself? 

[Max Householder]

Find a good PM and they should have a rock solid lease that covers every sticky issue they've encountered over time. If you're just starting out, hire a PM while you get a handle on the business. You can always take over and self-manage later on if you find you have the appetite for it. Even if you self-manage, add a 10% management fee when you calc your expenses so you know you could always turn it over to management later and still cash flow.