I had been under the impression that there are products out there where you can put 10-15% down to get in. I

All of which may factor in. I

For my clients, in every city I am set-up in I have an agent who pulls all the comps and writes up an opinion on the value based on size, area, finishes, market. 

All in, I think a large amount of GC's in the residential world tend to operate in less professional manners, which results in a lot of the problems we have read and seen above.

What city are your properties with them in?I

Some good questions for him to ask each potential company are:- how long have you been in business- what is your fee (be specific on the number of properties involved and if it's forward, reverse, etc)- where is your operations staff located (ie where will be funds be)- what type of account will my funds be held in?  Is

you will definitely be on the list when come time to find a PM.Quick question,As a PM specialist around Detroit, what city/area would you recommend a brand new investor start out in. I

Quote from @Dennis Knapp: I Have one double that I live in i bought as an investment just to help pay my mortgage.

What part of (or zip code within) LA County are you looking in? I

Quote from @Nelson Dibble: I have found several vacant lots in my local area that I am interested in.  I