Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

I'd recommend either being in Italy for some time out the year, every year you have property here, or have someone physically here (like me!)

Here's a list of things to track:- Formal lease application- Formal signed and executed lease specific to your state- Payment history (I recommend using online rent collection like Apartments.com, RentRedi, etc)- Maintenance requests and receipts- Accounting for all rental-related expenses (repairs, utilities, etc) The more you treat it like a business, the more helpful you are to your CPA come tax time. 

I recommend you do this annually to adjust for utility increases and other variables.

@Meghan Carson are there any you would recommend?

Are there strategies, financing tips, or resources you’d recommend for someone in my position?

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

Also not one of the alarmist attorneys who are recommending expensive entity structures.

For point #4, do you have any recommendations on how to find a good sponsor?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Recommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?