They can get you access to conventional lending, and loans insuredunder CMHC (regular, as well as MLI select).

When working on a project, like the basement finish project I'm just completing, I do refer to this book frequently. 

Do you check Landlord references?

Can you keep it rented on a regular basis? 

If you can chat with any of their references before working with them, that will help a lot in deciding whether you should work with them or not.

Challenge is, finding a PMC that meets your expectations and is organized well enough to consistently deliver.Read on for our copy & paste advice about screening PMCs:-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Recommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), etc.Also, encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

@Michael CliffordRecommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), etc.Also, encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

Hey BP Community - My employer does not match 401k contributions so I'm considering abandoning the contributions altogether and instead investing in something like the SPY ETF on a regular basis. 

Then I could start purchasing regular investment properties.Option B: Find an investment property first (higher interest rate) that pencils out while continuing to live in my condo, and then find another primary I could “trade-up” for with my condo, where I could eventually use it as LTROption C: Just focus on finding investment deals that pencil out at a higher interest rate with existing cash, and when I eventually move out of state, sell Condo.

Refer to my first blurb, check your state and local laws.Lastly, I'm not in AZ, but triple check your laws regarding "for-cause" and "not-for-cause" evictions.