I'm thinking of starting a property management company as I have a lot of skills I can leverage for this type of business.

The thing to understand about being an agent, that took me a little while to figure out, it’s a marketing gig, your actual skills as an agent are mostly irrelevant, most buyers won’t understand or care if they got a good deal or a bad one within reason.

Unless you have strong coding and spreadsheet skills (and lot's of time) I recommend following J Scott's advice. 

I know networking is a skill I'll need to Mmaster.

With my management skills, furnishings, and location, It leans to be in the more profitable side than I presume STRs in places that don't have major attractions immediately nearby. 

I don’t have any specific issue to deal with at this time, but I want to get to know the attorney and their experience and skill set.

If you have skills that can save you money, by all means invest the time.other value was by creating a 5th room in the unit.

Learning how to get direct to seller houses and great deals (cutting out middle men) is the #1 skill. 

What key skills should I focus on developing over the next three years?

.- While self-managing either type of property is possible, if you hire out property management you'll pay a higher percentage for a skilled MTR manager than for someone to manage your Section 8 property.- While MTRs can be any size property, the bedroom/bathroom count is really important, especially with larger properties.