These names frequently come up in investor circles because of their reliability.Speak Directly to Their Team: Legitimate lenders will have knowledgeable representatives willing to explain their loan products and processes in detail.

For your first rental property, starting in an area you're familiar with can make the learning process easier, as you’ll better understand the market and can handle issues directly.

I prefer to source all my deals off-market, which allows me to find properties with less competition and negotiate directly with motivated sellers.

Blue Gate Capital Never Charges Any Upfront Fees, Our Clients Pay AMCs or Appraisal Companies Directly.

Quote from @Evan Haas: I'm focusing on 2-4 MF properties, but if the numbers worked for 5+ when I'm open to that too, I just am assuming I don't have the capital yet to go in that direction. 

I will probably use something different next time . . . maybe work directly with Transunion. 

Your property manager should be supplying monthly reports and year end PnL reports that you give directly to your CPA. 

I would also add, a contractor that you can buy materials for and they know how to put them in with little to know direction (reduces the management time of the project).

The trust owns an LLC and does actions thru llc's not itself directly.

While these vendors are typically reputable and skilled, you might not get the best price compared to shopping around directly.