Can't comment on the Houston market, but we use property managers both in NYC and Raleigh - NYC as we're not there full time and Raleigh because the demands of my full-time job are too much for me to waste time self-managing.In both areas, I've gone through a process of interviewing several property management firms which has been a combination of me getting a "gut feeling" for how they work and getting specific questions answered. 

Some I felt were a waste of my time.

Alarms typically prevent or minimize theft claims.

Wasting time and money with these loan scams can result in a real estate investor losing a property.

Don't waste time and money or become paralyzed by it.

I have picked up a few old signs that were no longer standing, I'll actually spray paint over the current writing and hand write on top of that, paint costs less than a sign and it's less wasteful.  

I copy and paste pre-written responses (with tons of information to minimize questions) and reply en masse when I can, but with that number of people, it can get a little cumbersome to make sure everyone has their questions answered or personal requests addressed.

If they want some ridiculous number, then you can write them off without wasting your time.

Driving for dollars is another easy way to find some properties on your own, there's plenty of resources on BP for this.If its the former, maybe you should choose a property you can get for cheap that may have minimal cash flow just to get that first one done.

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