He did not do what he was hire to do, move on .

I was thinking about hiring a marketing specialist to get me started but I'm not sure if that would be the most cost effective method for someone beginning their real estate career.Based on your experience, do you think that having a specialist from the beginning would be beneficial or do you think I can get by on my own in the beginning? 

Example:1 -Single family - central air already installed when I purchased & I provided washer & dryer units. 2- Duplex - no central air installed and washer & dryer units are provided by the tenants.

Where you purchase a property that needs some work, live in it for 2 years, fix it up (either DIY or hire contractors), and then refinance & rent it out.

This is one of those situations where it is best to say, you would be foolish not to hire a CPA to give you correct advice with 100% view of your entire portfolio.  

Hello Cliff, as I went through this about five years ago before I started investing in properties, the advice that you’ve been given initially is right on point so from another perspective, but say that you hire yourself as a W-2 employee instead of an owner on your schedule C personal 1040.

We vet, hire, and monitor virtual assistants for other businesses. 

If you just hire the cheapest or first PMC you speak with and it turns into a bad experience, please don’t assume ALL PMC’s are bad and start trashing PMC’s in general.

I believe you either do the simple 27.5 yrs depreciation yourself or hire a tax pro, but the latter option is not guaranteed to pay for itself. 

With any rent-by-the-room asset, you need to hire resourceful management.