Regardless of how you find them, try to interview at least three managers.1.

For me, I interviewed agents across the US as I was trying to determine what markets I wanted to get started in.

@Trevor Alexander why don't you interview PMC's and learn what you don't know and how comfortable you are learning on the fly?

Take a look at who is offering STR cleaning in your area and interview.

Something I have learned that might be helpful to someone else: Ask open ended questions when interviewing prospective tenants.

This is a two-way interview, so have a short list of questions to ask the mentor (What books do you recommend I read to gain a better understanding?

Put it on auto-pay.2) LLC isn't always necessary, just make sure you change your homeowner's policy to a landlord policy with enough protection.Regarding interviewing PMC's:In our experience, the #1 mistake owners make when selecting a Property Management Company (PMC) is ASSUMING instead of CONFIRMING.It's often a case of not doing enough research, as they don't know what they don't know!

When we interviewed our agent we just asked is she an investor and she is, but we never found out what type of investing she does.

You need to know what a good one looks like, then interview some until you find one that meets your criteria.

Regardless of how you find them, try to interview at least three managers.1.