I guess it's about cross-referencing my work with someone else's to reduce the possibility of errors.

@Mallory Austin Congratulations and I have my fingers crossed your closing will happen on time!!

Not quite a new member as I've been lurking these forums for years, finally deciding to get serious and figured doing the "New Member Introduction" post would be a good step.Briefly about me:  I'm currently working as a merchant mariner (3rd Mate) and I travel for work about half the year, looking to get into real estate investing to supplement my income and begin building a portfolio during the half of the year when I am home.  

I kind of jumped in not knowing what to expect and had a single family home that I wanted to turn into a rental but bought it before investing in real estate was even a thought that had crossed my mind. 

-Carlos One thing to know, when you do a portfolio loan (cross collateralization), if you run into a financial downturn in the future and can't make a couple of payments, sometimes the lender can force the entire portfolio into foreclosure.

You then can cross reference the material cost with what they are charging you and average out what it should cost.  

There is also VinFast, WolfSpeed, the Toyota Battery Plant, ... large pharmaceutical companies, manufacturers, energy producers, and a diverse cross section of other industries who are moving to or expanding within an hour of Raleigh.

@Michael SheaRecommend 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, 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.

@Jake LangleyRecommend 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, 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.

Good luck and I'd love to hear how it goes once you cross that bridge.