Or hire a PM company to manage for you?

I am currently living out of state so I have hired a property management company to handle this task, however, my home is still sitting vacant with very few prospective tenants.

Do yourself a favor and find an expert on your particular system -- that might not necessarily mean one of the big name companies.

There is one city where I rent some houses and almost everyone that calls ask who the PM is and say they won't rent from anyone that uses X company as their PM.  

We work hard and know our reputation is everything and a little transparency never hurts any company!  

My wife and I started managing more properties for others as word of mouth recommendations started and we started to use the management and arbitrage cash flow to acquire our own properties and fund the BRRRs we were working on.  

It took some digging, working closely with a title company, and negotiating with multiple parties to get it resolved, but in the end, it was a great learning experience—and a successful deal!

the company I went with was 12k and performed high quality work.

I always just explain nicely that it’s my company policy to deliver the required notice and collect the late fee as per the lease every time rent is late, no matter what, sorry no exceptions for anyone as I treat everyone equally and adhere to the lease agreement that we both signed.

Do you have a pre-approval or proof of funds ready?