I'm an agent now so I can see both sides of the fence really well.Before I got my license, I used several techniques to try to find a good agent but the thing that ended up working the best was to study all of the local listings (Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com) to find the top three agencies in the area (most listings).  

I pay a couple hundred more from my trusted installer in Florida but I have piece of mind that it was done right the first time, I should have minimal expenses for the first 10 years, and added value with increased longevity with a well maintained HVAC system.

Downside: one more thing to maintain...Andy

The tenant pays every month, keeps the inside very clean, not just maintains the lawn but has improved it far beyond its state when he moved in, and never complains about frivolous stuff.  

Right now I'm in the process of studying up for my real estate broker's license so not a ton of free time. 

I have 4 of mine that are like this, we meet twice a year, if that, and they've got more money in reserves than the reserve study calls for and they're ahead of schedule on all maintenance and admin issues.

Numerous studies, such as this 2007 Harvard study, fail to find any causal link between introducing housing subsidies and depressing property values http://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/jchs.harvard.edu...

In the beginning you might be cheaper but will have growing pains as you expand and will not be able to scale and maintain that little profit margin model.Personally I think many buyers overpay for investment properties and then blame the PM when they did not properly account for that expense going in.

Study as much as you can, but don't get "paralysis by analysis".

For the landlord who is more business oriented and not so personable just look at it as investing $100 in maintaining a good relationship.