I only pay for BP leads and all other business comes from my sphere/referrals. 

Most came through referrals from other investors and realtors.

Do you have any referrals to build a solid network on the ground?   

I came into this with pre-approvals so although they have preferred lenders, they do not require you to use their referrals. 

This makes a lot of sense to just do it on the side as a referral and not risk any of your own capital it sounds like.

@Rafael Valdor some advice when 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.

Third-party referrals work since few people do any due diligence. 

As Nate highlighted, we are proud to have a strong base of repeat clients and a steady stream of referrals.

Typically they will have referrals to local accountants you can interview. 

I occasionally get requests to manage commercial and love to have a referral source.