Recommend 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.

The bad ones will want 50% upfront, you'll have to plead for update pics, they'll find reasons to increase their initial bids (multiple times) and will want final payment before meeting you for final walk-thru.Many investor-friendly agents have NEVER owned a rental, so you can't really rely on their advice.

The last time I looked, a $1 million policy was about $200 a year.

Wholesaling real estate. 

I’ve been around real estate for decades, and I read in The Economist once that in lively markets like Charlotte, folks will pay a premium for a comfortable room if you’re near major employers.A friend of mine tried something similar out in Austin a while back.. he’d inherited a 4-bedroom property and split it into individual room rentals.

@Sean DillonAt 18, you're in a prime position to start building wealth with low expenses and plenty of time to scale.

I've helped people with SBA loans to purchase real estate for a business, but for buying rental real estate, the DSCR loan is a much better option.

You have to pay fees, but you'll have a professional handling issues instead of bleeding money trying to figure it out for yourself, then you have your time free to pursue other things.

Every time you lower your tax bracket you are lowering the value of the deductions.

keep going after it. run lots of numbers and do a lot of underwriting. feel free to reach out at any time if you need help in your market. these properties that are 3 units are rented and then a cash out refinance that not only makes money but returns full capital to the investor on DSCR loans similar to the interest rate you mentioned above.