@Spencer DixonRecommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), etc.Also, encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

In Trustee sales once you hand over your check its done your money is gone and not coming back unless there was a mistake in the sale or the owner filed a very late BK that was not caught before the sale was cried.

@Chris Kay to learn to properly DIY manage you have two basic options:1) Trial & fire on your own, hopefully not making a major mistake that costs you tens of thousands of dollars.- Once your time is more impotant to you then the cost of a PMC, you can hire one.2) Hire a PMC to guide you on your first rental and learn from their expertise.- You can buy additional properties and DIY manage those, perhaps leaning on the PMC for any issues you're not sure how to handle on your own.Good luck:)

I unfortunately made the mistake of investing with him a year ago and have yet to receive anything back.

It would be hard to mistake for a light switch. 

If I had tried to scale my business before I understood what was required in hiring marketing expertise I would have made the same mistake as my friend of hiring a “generic” on line marketer and probably ended in failure. 

It only happened once, so you have no evidence that this is anything but an honest mistake that's been corrected.The bigger concern is the 583 credit score, because it shows a pattern of financial mismanagement.

With your experience, having sufficient capital to cushion any mistakes is important.

My lender seems to have done a little mistake and my father who is co-signing was never told he has to be down here for the signing which was suppose to happen today at 1:00 and it cannot happen without a wet signature from him.

In retrospect, did I overpay or make a mistake with the purchase?