Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

I have a couple of friends who have several rental units in Gettysburg and said the rents are good and he has many professionals who stay for a good amount of time and pay on time.  

So I can hire a PM company to just do the tenant placement part? 

If you hire a Property Manager they can sometimes help arrange lawn and snow removal service.  

Are they being professionally managed or DIY managed?

These tax professionals opted to pay to be included in this directory.

We got started, but they hired an appraiser and charged me $750, while typically appraisal costs around $500.

I agree with Miguel, build your system, then hire a virtual assistant and train them how to use it.

This could work well if you’re looking for steady monthly returns and don’t mind managing tenants (or hiring a property manager).Selling could also make sense if you’d rather use the $500,000 to diversify into other investments, like buying multiple properties or even a short-term rental on the lake as you mentioned.

Readers should seek professional advice.