They had $ but did not have the knowledge or the time.  

@Mario Morales, to echo Bradley, I would say this depends on what you are lacking in your own knowledge base.To some (probably many investors) the agent is simply an initial filter for them.  

Super knowledgeable and takes integrity and his Christian faith into all the deals he does.

If you can critically think, there's enough knowledge on this website to get you started for free.

By keeping your investments local you may be able to self-manage your properties more easily because you're close-by and already knowledgeable about what's required of you as a landlord. 

His knowledge and expertise is great .

We weren't willing to take that risk.My wife operated our first home and after a few months we found a really solid knowledgeable manager who took over operations while still working closely with my wife. 

Well, come tax time, I had to unravel 3 LLCs with quite a bit of expense and am paying double tax because of their lack of care and knowledge.

Quote from @David Epstein: I everyone, I know this is an older thread, but I'm also now getting into properties in the Albany area and am in need of a CPA with real estate tax knowledge for advance planning.

GC in my area cost 10% of the total and I would say that is worth it for what they provide, but if you have the knowledge and willingness to be on the phone with subs (and spend a lot of time on site) you could save that by DIYing it.