Ask any property manager who's taken over a building or two from a self-service landlord.There are two things one needs to get into real estate investing. 

Looking to purchase 1-2 single family homes this year and trying to determine whether to self-manage or hire a property manager.

-Taxes-Home insurance-Mortgage Insurance -Maintenance/Repairs-Capex-Vacancy-Property Management (many include this even if you don't plan on initially offloading to PM)-Utilities Let's say all in expenses are $2,000 per month for easy math purposes. 

We love both coasts (Jupiter / palm beach area on the east coast, and, sarasota / tampa area on the west coast) I highly suggest looking into both if you’re adding to your portfolio.

We inherited a management company and stayed with them for 5 years.

I was thinking this could be a good strategy to scale and keep costs managable. 

Build RE portfolio as part of diversified retirement plan (goal of one property per year to start)3.

Form a team: Assemble a trustworthy group of experts, such as a mortgage broker, property inspector, real estate agent, and maybe even a property manager.

So, this kind of change is manageable for most people.

We also are considering continuing to contribute to the stock portfolios and open a line of credit when it makes sense.