I have been a landlord and investor for over a decade AND also work as a senior/regional property manager so I feel like I see both sides and have some good insight on this- manage yourself if you have the time and fortitude to do so, you will make mistakes but it will pay off, get a real estate license (not hard to do plus you can sell and buy properties and get commission) and know the laws, be willing to do the research, NO ONE IS GOING CARE AS MUCH ABOUT YOUR PROPERTY AS YOU- that being said, not everyone wants to has the time ect or headache or likes asking for rent…FIND A MANAGER THAT ALSO IS A LANDLORD INVESTOR, I can’t tell you how many property managers I’ve tried training and that failed at our company because they just don’t get it from an owner or investor side, like “no tenant we aren’t going to come replace your stove again, no we aren’t going to clean your bathroom cause you didn’t , ability to analyze when to do maintenance and not, ability to explain to tenant owners POV, I tell every owner I am not telling you anything I haven’t done or I’d do my self, a lot of property managers are blue colar type workers and have never invested in their life and just done get it, 4 out of 5 property managers fail at my company because of this especially for single family homes, find a PM with speciality in SFH for your area, for example, a PM in Birmingham MI (upscale area) will fail in Detroit or lower end markets (but that’s were the best ROIs are)

I've always seen having a license as a benefit.  1) It gives you multiple strategies when meeting with a seller.  2) I always tell the seller when I disclose that I am licenses that this gives them the ability to not only use the court of law if they feel I do something wrong, but they an also submit a complaint to the licensing board. 

If you want an introduction to my contacts at either feel free to DM me. 

Now, I'm being a little greedy, it feels to me, but life has happened since he first moved in and things weren't what I thought they were either. 

If you have specific questions or need further guidance, feel free to ask.

Feel free to PM if you'd like to chat sometime about your plan.

Not sure what part of South Carolina you're considering, but please feel free to reach out if I can help with anything!

Feel free to post about anything else. 

Volunteer to answer phones and do open houses for a local Realty Office.Bottom line is - this can be done, but you are gonna have to really kick *** and take names.....Feel free to ask for help here....if you are serious you can do this.

I feel I do a better job than any local property management company and I'm much better at hiring tradespeople, making certain they do a great job and by being the decision-maker I'm responsible with my money and am learning A LOT about every facet of the industry.