To avoid going through the same poor experience, keep reading.Even if someone gives you a referral here, do NOT make the mistake of assuming that the PMC will meet your expectations, just because they met the expectations of the referral source.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!

Additionally, does anyone have any good recommendations for hard money lenders im the DC, Maryland, Virginia area that they have experience with?

Maybe that is one of your interview questions.If you are very top producer there can be some advantages, like employing your kids, SEPs or retirement plans and maybe if you have a big team some shield of liability if you set it up right and practice what your attorney teaches you to do to keep everything separate.

@Britney DearEven if someone give you a referral, what meets their expectations, may not meet yours.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!

We are here to help each other grow.Get as much knowledge and experience as possible and find a mentor.Join real estate investment clubs.Get in touch with a local agent or investor and shorten your learning curve and save you a lot of headaches as they tend to understand the market better.All the best!

For illustration purposes perhaps that technique would be more accepted when you are a vendor mowing a lawn or clearing out junk as a one time engagement but as a property manager there are significantly more pitfalls and potential instances of liability exposure.

First issue is an investor always has a choice for liability protection: Insurance vs LLC setupIf you have enough insurance, you can cover any lawsuit!

That may seem obvious but in my experience, 99% of ongoing maintenance issues are because the property is old and needs either a large cash infusion to make them go away or what I like to do is 1031 exchange into something newer that requires less work. 

In essence, less than 20% (of the commonly-held-average) ARV is a slim margin, and you should justify it according to your experience and comfort.

Any experience others have had is welcomed.