Hi Catherine,Welcome a board to Bigger Pockets, it's a great place to learn and Network with like minded investors. 

Due diligence is key before you sign on the dotted lineBuild a network of a great property manager, lender and maintenance teamDepending on your budget, I usually would start with at least a duplex, triplex or quad.

Every so often I will look at my listing in private or incognito mode to make sure it's showing up to the general public.Closer to their stay, I text guests (who want it) a guest book that I put together with local restaurants, things to do, parking, etc. 

The normal production cycle is around 25 years, by buying or cooping with the land owners we will cut off about 5 to 10 years, and my basic model is to not put any money into the trees up front. 

@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.

NETWORK!!!

LinkedIn, Chamber of Commerce, signage and Networking for marketing

Bigger Pockets is a great place for education and networking. 

.), spending time with my family, and always continuing to better myself whether that be reading books, being outdoors and exercising, networking, and/or sharpening my skills for my trade.I started my real estate journey in 2021 after a software business I was a partner in had a bad partnership breakup that saw me lose everything (financially). 

or even just doing some networking to try to help someone out.