We are now at the point where we need a good recommendation for an affordable property management company that communicates properly with an out of state landlord and will not take advantage of that situation.Thanks in advance for any help.Brian Rhodes

She has indicated that at the very least she is not a good communicator, and if her business model is retail-centric, that won't work either.

I believe in ethics of open and honest communication and I even ask the agent what's her goals just so she knows that I would like to meet her halfwayFar as the contracts, I was asking because I read it somewhere that you can get them from an attorney or realtor.

There are some great tools and people here to communicate with on the real estate topics.

I need an agent that is accessible, will respond to my emails quickly, run comps for me when I need them, and be on POINT when it comes to paperwork & communicating with title/selling agent.

nah, I've been around teachers most of my life, probably more years than you've been alive, you don't need to tell me that, teaching is an art, a skill and it does require a degree of formal training or, depending on what it is, a personality that can communicate well with very good social skills.

The communication between us and Altisource was all but clear and quick since they are 9 hours ahead of where I live.

I believe good communication is key to successful landlording.Mike

And as a corollary to that last question, is it ever a good idea to open a channel of communication directly with your tenant, or should you stay anonymous and let the PM be a buffer between you and them?

Knowing how to communicate with the older folks is a pretty good thing, since they control most of the property (LOL).