Most of the stuff I attend now are higher-level conferences that cost a lot to get it.

Always recommend local (or at least some level of boots on the group).

I have seen all sides of this equation, self managing my own properties locally, but moved with the Navy 1000 miles away and managed the same rentals from afar, and had friends here in Memphis that had 18 properties and had them all with PMs with varying levels of success, some bad and some great.Self-managing brings about an additional level of responsibility that most of the time is fine, but that is not what you hire a PM for.

Purchase price: $499,990 5 bed 3 bath split level house in Hyattsville, 1875 sq ft

@Jim LynchSome typical minimum tenant screening requirements look like the following, but it depends on your market:-Renter has a gross monthly income of 3x more than the monthly rent-Minimum credit score of 650-Renter must have no prior evictions-No felons (or other notable criminal history)There are a number of different tenant screening softwares out there such as Zillow Rental Manager, TransUnion SmartMove, etc.Be sure to complete an employment verification by contacting the renter's employer and confirm the details they shared with you, landlord verification (if they have a previous landlord), credit check, and background check.

I have no personal experience with them but they are the only company I know of that are built more for self managers and small portfolios. 

"Nobody will manage your investment better than you will."

@Andy Ptak when jumping into the industry you have a few choices:1) Start at the bottom2) Leverage your experience to convince someone to give you a chance3) Decide between:--- Big companies who will usually start you at the bottom--- Small companies that will more like to a chance on hiring you for an above entry level position.

Try interviewing at least three managers.1.

I like that OwnerRez has a property management component should I decide to offer management for STR units of others at some point in the future.