Hiring a PM company for few properties isn't worth it if you're new to REI.

Now, I have to go to las Vegas to replace every floor molding in the house and I will have to hire an HVAC contractor to repair the AC and hire a welder to repair or rebuild an iron gate and fence.

You can hire a security guard, use fencing/gates with camera's and alarms or just not invest in neighborhoods that bad I guess.

One of the biggest things we see over and over again is people being unsure who to hire, when to hire, how to hire, and how much to pay them.

Which ones did you do yourself vs hiring a contractor?

We will be hiring our first employee (admin/coordinator) by the end of Q3. 

She spent too much (to my eyes [but I was going to do the work myself and not hire it out]) but still made 20k on the pending sale. 

When it becomes too much I’ll either hire or consider property management.

We also send out letters periodically when the owners aren't picking up their poop in the yard that they have 30 days to do the cleanup (or hire a pet clean up vendor that we recommend) or we will bill them for the cost and it is a violation when it comes time for lease renewal. 

@Peter MorganComplain to the electric company that the bill cannot be correct.Have them walk you through the bill and test your ref and A/C draw.If the electric company will not check your draw, hire an electrician to do it, and find the issue.Could be an estimated bill.