Dave Ramsey would not be pleased, but he went bankrupt investing in real estate and is only rich because he tells people how stupid he was all day. 

@Ram RangaRecommend 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.

One thing to remember when you are getting into RE investing is to have your team of people or as Brandon Turner from the Bigger Pockets Podcast calls it your CORE 41.

I am looking forward to meeting people from different aspects of the Real Estate Investing world.

Upfront expenses and monthly payments must be considered when calculating the return on your investment.EXAMPLEYou cash out $100,000 of your equity and use this as a down payment on a $400,000 investment property.

Every interaction is an opportunity to learn, share, and grow your network organically.Looking forward to your contributions and learning from your experiences in both investing and the agency space.

I also hate to be the bearer of bad news but you aren't going to buy a single family home and cash flow and be happy with your investment. why not purchase a new construction duplex or triplex or look to build one directly?

So the barrier to entry is not as high as traditional investments.

If you don't care about that, you can do a cash out refinance and pull the equity out with a fixed interest rate and payment but the interest rate is usually higher than a non-cash out loan.If this is an investment property, your options are similar but you can also use a Debt Service Coverage Ratio or DSCR loan and use the income from the property to qualify.

Welcome to BiggerPockets Melanie and best of luck investing!