I am a big proponent of self GCing new construction investments, as long as it is done correctly.

Spend a little more money than you might have been planning to, buy in a better area (i.e. not a “turn key” 100k house off the mls), and self manage.

> PMWere you suggesting that we should self-manage? 

Remember, the notion of amassing wealth without investing is a dangerous myth perpetuated by self-proclaimed experts.

I am not yet familiar with the management fees for an STR yet as we self manage, however Cleveland itself is currently STR friendly and just requires them to be registered if you have stays over 90 days and then you register with the city and pay $35.

If you're not using Hard Money and the property won't qualify for conventional financing, then you'd probably need to locate private money or if you have friends with IRAs, they can be self-directed to invest in real estate.

-When a tenant moved out, the management company refunded their security deposit but failed to account for damage, such as holes in walls and outlets ripped off the walls, leaving me with repair bills and also tenants moving in without the repairs being done.Stuff like this that is consistent and when I ask questions they are defensive, when I ask for more quotes for high ticket items they are defensive. 

Fannie Mae will allow you to transfer the deed to an LLC if you decide to try to go the conventional route, but the loan would still be in your names and you'll need to pay a title company a second time post-closing to do this  for you. 3) I can't speak for the area so no comment there4) If you're self managing, make sure you find vendors you can trust in the area since you won't be able to easily verify if an HVAC guy, plumber, etc. is trying to rip you off and tell you to buy something you don't actually need. 5) Make sure you have clear alignment of goals and a clear operating agreement that spells out what to do if those goals start to not align in the future since you'll be jointly obligated to these properties. 

We converted to a self-service model a few months after we took over, which has substantially reduced the workload. 

I hadn’t heard about interest going back to self tho!