I have seen all sides of this equation, self managing my own properties locally, but moved with the Navy 1000 miles away and managed the same rentals from afar, and had friends here in Memphis that had 18 properties and had them all with PMs with varying levels of success, some bad and some great.Self-managing brings about an additional level of responsibility that most of the time is fine, but that is not what you hire a PM for.

She found a PM through a friend in the building and they sent me the contract to review.

Wherever you invest you'll want to focus on building your Core4 team of an investor-friendly real estate agent, lender, contractor, and property manager. 

Normally you have to buy in more challenging neighborhoods, so are you willing to do that, and are your friends willing to do that. 

(If you don't have outdoor furniture - borrow it from some friends in trade for babysitting.)

Since VA loans allow 0% down and no PMI, focus on finding a multifamily property in El Paso while working with VA-friendly lenders who accept lower credit scores.

Found this deal via realtor that was not understanding of most terms for an investor friendly property.

I'm looking to buy my first rental property, that I would live in and use the BRRRR method on.

I am planning on leaving the brokerage to go somewhere that is more investor friendly, and somewhere with a broker who knows what wholesaling is.

However if your lawyer/CPA have recommended a Series for your particular situation - you might reach out to my friend Alex Gonzalez at Texas Partner's Bank, 512-956-5675