This my general feeling....When you structure things correctly and things are going smoothly, paying  a PM 8-10% per month for essentially taking the rent payment, PLUS one month rent at turnovers is a HUGE waste of $$.When the sh*t hits the fan and things go badly or need a lot of attention, then a PM is worth their weight in gold IF you as a LL can't deal with it......I've only been doing this for 6 years now and only have 3 units and I have self managed them EASILY over that time frame..... nothing has come up that I cant easily handle myself with very little time involved.

For my deal flow the agents that are real I break the most bread with and deals go smooth because they are on it.

This might involve him having to go somewhere to stay, like a family/friends house or hotel during this time.So for everyone that has gone through something similar, how have you handled things with the tenant to make it go smooth.

Used Susan on my BRRRR deal but on this one my partner wanted to use Jeff Basler - was a smooth process. 

Nothing, it went smoothly!

I'm guessing it doesn't always go smoothly for you either?

Once I get this first purchase out of the way I think things will move more smoothly, but I would be on a 5 year track to pay off these loans and then refinance the property at 5 years, hopefully with much added value through smart property management.any thoughts?

Granted, he is not a "smooth" talker like other gurus.

I had problems with an inherited tenant, but for the most part things have been smooth.

Any secrets to smooth over being a woman and needing to hire trade types?