In real estate, I don't change locks, screen tenants, evict tenants, inspect properties, or finance my deals - I have property management, property inspectors, and mortgage lenders that do this for me (outsourcing).

Go to BUILD YOUR TEAM at the top of the screen and look for local investors or meetups in your area.

NY isn’t the best state for landlords, but if you screen tenants well it isn’t all that bad.Once you pick a market find a rockstar agent.

.- multiple indoor common areas (think 2 separate tv setups). - exterior "usable square footage" (think covered patio, pergolas).- extra storage space so tenants don't feel the need to squeeze their entire lives into one room (extra garage space, attic, detached shed)- room for 2 full refrigerators!

Go to BUILD YOUR TEAM at the top of the screen and look for local investors or meetups in your area.

@Ashley Kehr I use a combination of Apartments.com for rent collection, RentSpree for tenant and background screening, and Stessa for accounting.

Not sure how many PMCs you've had bad experiences with, but we'll take exception to:"Then do a thorough research on tenant applicants (note: leaving this to a PM may be hazardous to your financial health)".BP seems to have more threads about screening mistakes by DIY landlords as opposed to PMCs.Now, if you'd have mentioned Maintenance, you'd get no argument from me:) Even the PMC industry acknowledges maintenance as one of the biggest challenges.Rereading my post, I kinda see how I sounded negative toward PMs.  

Screen by what you're looking for; housing scarcity, tax implications, barrier of entry, coastal, climate risk off or on, etc.

Houfy now has a damage protection plan that costs the guests $5 a night and does light identity screening through SuperHog. 

There are many good locations - I'd suggest that you play around with the "Market Finder" tool at the top of the screen here, included with your pro membership.