As an agent, you're an independent contractor, a business owner who has marketing, administrative, travel, insurance and all the other costs involved in managing a business.  

@Sean HollandEither he's your employee, or he's an independent contractor....You can't choose... 

They will have vetted paperwork and will be able to provide an independent evaluation of the area, the property, and you.

I like the PM, and to shore up the trust I'll probably setup independent checks on the properties and work done.

My advice is really independent of whether an area is up & coming or already established.

I am new to B.P. and to real estate investing, my main focus is buy and hold rentals, and I am undoubtadly going to make this the vehicle to financial independence.

So: this is your time to read everything you can, listen to podcasts, and gain knowledge because one day you will have to spend your days changing diapers, but hopefully you have heeded my knowledge and have a couple rental properties on the go so you can move toward a financially independent life. 

That person is an independent contractor and not an employee.

You can ask an independent real estate agent for a Market analysis (CMA).

The risk that comes from leverage is completely independent of the risk of the asset and the market.