I’m returning to the U.S. after spending a few years overseas, and I’m eager to start my journey in real estate investing.Once I’m back, I have a job lined up with a wholesaling company where I’ll be focusing on buying houses.

There are not many companies vertically integrated that take the financial risk on the front end. 

Yes, those are the standard fees and pricing you'll find at most PM companies.

Also consider contacting houses that look vacant, simply door knocking in a neighborhood that you are interested in and talking to the homeowners in a genuine way, For Sale By Owners is another potential, using an App like Nextdoor or Facebook pages/groups related to local real estate and just telling the group what you are looking for, contractors also know about houses coming on the market soon and so do property management companies, and finally garage sales are a good way to find off-market properties as people prepare to sell.To Your Success!

@Travis Marko There are several skip tracing companies out there.

https://natlawreview.com/article/texas-federal-court-issues-nationwide-injunction-against-enforcement-corporate“We note this is a preliminary injunction, and we urge reporting companies to pay attention for additional updates and proceedings in this and other cases which could modify or change this order.”

In those cases, the main criteria we add to our lease is that everyone that comes to stay there must be subject to a background check paid by the company.

It is widely recognized as a loss leader within the industry and those who are successful normally have a complimentary business such as a brokerage or a construction company that performs complimentary services.

I feel like it would be great to trust a property management company on all of this, but it would be hard not to step in if you could do a better job at screening bad tenants (eg screening HUGE future problems).I initially managed properties myself, but now I delegate that responsibility to my business partner, personal assistant, or a property manager at my brokerage.Most PMs I know will send you an applicant for final approval and you can get on the phone with them and ask them questions

For insurance in South Florida, I’ve heard good things about companies like Citizens and some specialized providers that focus on high-risk areas.