As a brand new landlord I found and screened my first tenants. They were horrendous, liars and deadbeats and I evicted them after about 4 months (in Colorado evictions take two weeks, yay). Turned out the credit report she had sent me was forged.
After that I used a PM service to find, screen and manage the property. Since then I’ve had two wonderful tenants who pay on time and take care of the house. If I was local I’d use them to find and screen only, but since I’m 1000 miles away I have them do the ongoing management too. Its been worth it and its a deductible expense, so their fees are reduced by your tax bracket (roughly)
I’d use the help of the pro’s, especially if you are new to the game.
