Just like with your purchase though, who you work with and the strategies they use for you will make a large difference going forward. 

I'm about to purchase my first rental property with the backing of an investor.

There's been significant growth in the last 3-5 years, with booming business and real estate sectors.

@Michael PetersRecommend 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 (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), 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.

Hello. i'm under contract to purchase a duplex which I will convert to an STR. 

Starting with a multi-family property and house hacking is a smart strategy to build wealth in real estate.

We've been using a rental manager for one property and we're about to purchase a second.

If I purchase a property with cash, can I still obtain a mortgage later?

Yes a real estate agent but my real estate agent is also the builder’s rep.I will definitely follow your advice there.

Here is some info on that as for"skin in the game".Gift funds are acceptable as 100% down payment for loans <75% LTV/CLTV Gift funds are acceptable for loans >=75% LTV/CLTV; however, the underlying Borrower(s) must contribute at least5% of the transaction (lower of Purchase Price or Appraised Value) from their own fundso Example: A $500,000 purchase price where the LTV/CLTV is going to be 75% or higher would require the borrower to have a $25,000 of their own funds provided ($500,000 x .05% = $25,000)