Better to hire a PMC as their interests will be more aligned with yours, since they will have to deal with whatever you buy on a daily basis.In our experience, the #1 mistake owners make when selecting a Property Management Company (PMC) is ASSUMING instead of CONFIRMING.It's often a case of not doing enough research, as they don't know what they don't know!

Then I can align my strategy with my goal. 

Correctly qualifying tenants upfront with income verification, background check and credit check, along with setting detailed expectations and structuring your lease with a minimum of first month rent, last month rent, and security deposit are a few things that will align your interests.

We are hoping to house hack another property in Q1, so the personal items being packed up could be in alignment with the direction we are headed anyway. 

For real success you should be looking for someone who aligns with your values, philosophies, and you should be shooting to build a long term realtionship.These people will become a part of your investing team.

Ideally, I’d like to align with a broker that works with investors.

@Evan Alexakos If you have an offer letter for full-time employment that aligns with your major, you can use that to get a pre-approval letter while still in college and start your search.

Align yourself with someone who knows what they are doing. 

Save them in redfin or whateverWhen they go back on market you can see how much the sold for, the rehab that was done and if your ARV aligns with what's listed. 

Align yourself with a company that has opportunities for you to learn.