DIY or a team?
Member since 2025 · 34 posts · 20 votes
DIY or a team?
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Real Estate Consultant · Ft. Lauderdale, FL · Member since 2012 · 38 posts · 38 votes
1yYou're right, there are definitely investors out there managing 6 to 10 single family homes all on their own. It can work, especially if you're local and don't mind being hands-on. You keep more of the cash flow, and you really get to know the business.
But once the portfolio grows, things get heavier. You're the one handling everything. Tenants, maintenance, late-night calls, leases, legal stuff. For some folks, that works. They like staying close to their properties. For others, it starts to feel like a thankless job.
That's where a property manager can help. The thing is, not all of them are worth the 10%. Some think collecting your for you rent automatically earns them 10%. Anything else and they're doing you a favor. That’s why it’s important to find a good one, not just any manager.
Here’s a few tips I’ve picked up for finding the right fit:
1. Talk to local investors – Word of mouth goes a long way. If someone’s had the same manager for years and still likes them, that’s a good sign.
2. Ask about their process – Like, how do they screen tenants? How fast do they fix stuff? If they can’t answer clearly, that’s a red flag.
3. Look past the Google stars – Don’t just look at the rating. Read the reviews and see how they handle problems. The way they respond says a lot.
4. Interview them like you mean it – Ask “What would you do if a tenant’s 2 weeks late on rent?” or “How do you handle lease violations?” You’ll learn a lot real quick.
5. Break down the fees – Some charge extra for every little thing. Make sure you know what you’re getting for the 10%.
At the end of the day, it comes down to your goals. If you're looking to stay small and do it all yourself, cool. But if you wanna grow or just want your weekends back, a solid property manager can be a smart move.
27 Replies
- Real Estate Consultant · Ft. Lauderdale, FL · Member since 2012 · 38 posts · 38 votes1y
You're right, there are definitely investors out there managing 6 to 10 single family homes all on their own. It can work, especially if you're local and don't mind being hands-on. You keep more of the cash flow, and you really get to know the business.
But once the portfolio grows, things get heavier. You're the one handling everything. Tenants, maintenance, late-night calls, leases, legal stuff. For some folks, that works. They like staying close to their properties. For others, it starts to feel like a thankless job.
That's where a property manager can help. The thing is, not all of them are worth the 10%. Some think collecting your for you rent automatically earns them 10%. Anything else and they're doing you a favor. That’s why it’s important to find a good one, not just any manager.
Here’s a few tips I’ve picked up for finding the right fit:
1. Talk to local investors – Word of mouth goes a long way. If someone’s had the same manager for years and still likes them, that’s a good sign.
2. Ask about their process – Like, how do they screen tenants? How fast do they fix stuff? If they can’t answer clearly, that’s a red flag.
3. Look past the Google stars – Don’t just look at the rating. Read the reviews and see how they handle problems. The way they respond says a lot.
4. Interview them like you mean it – Ask “What would you do if a tenant’s 2 weeks late on rent?” or “How do you handle lease violations?” You’ll learn a lot real quick.
5. Break down the fees – Some charge extra for every little thing. Make sure you know what you’re getting for the 10%.
At the end of the day, it comes down to your goals. If you're looking to stay small and do it all yourself, cool. But if you wanna grow or just want your weekends back, a solid property manager can be a smart move.
- Real Estate Agent · St George, UT · Member since 2019 · 56 posts · 30 votes1y
Just depends on your skillset and preferences. Try managing yourself and see if you like it. Some people like the control and communication with the tenants.
When I started, I would personally manage and could go months without hearing from a tenant. But the first phone call I got after hours about some repair...and the first time a tenant gave me a sob story about rent...I immediately realized I never wanted to interact with them again lol. A good property manager will make or break a lot of deals. Especially out of state.
- Investor · Las Vegas, NV · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 10k+ votes1y
Can you be bothered to keep up on federal, state, and local law changes in regards to notice periods, late fee limits, both time and amount, security deposit laws, application fee limits? Do you know of you have to accept the first qualified tenant, or the amount you can increase rents?
Do you know the exact market rent so you don’t sit vacant if overpriced or rent it too cheaply? Things that can easily cost more than the 8% I’m charged. Do you have the time and personality to meet applicants and screen them?
Are you large enough to have relationships with vendors when you get a “Your house is flooding…” call at 2am that they’ll send someone out. Do you have the time and personality to enforce late fees and start evictions as soon as possible?
If you fall short in any of these categories once a year you could lose more than a PM charges. Then you’re virtually paying to PLAY PM. If you have 25-50+ units and want to start your own PM company great. You’ve admitted it needs to be its own business.
True, I only have 12 properties and PM services cost me about $20k/yr. But I work 30-60 minutes a month, if you count 20-30 minutes of bookkeeping. If I decided tonight to go on a 6 month cruise it wouldn’t affect my income in the least. I owned some franchise computer stores back in the day. And there were plenty of franchise owners trying to buy themselves or their kids jobs. If you’re poor or bored, go for it. It’s basically a part time job that pays $5-$20k/yr before taxes. (I know, you’re thinking you don’t have to pay taxes on that money saved. But. You don’t get to deduct that money from your income. So living in Vegas that $20k costs me $16k. It might cost someone in California only $10k/yr for a dozen properties. That’s what you’re “earning” for doing it yourself.
Maybe you’re better off putting in some overtime and your real job. Or spending that time finding one more deal every year. Good luck either way.
- Member since 2025 · 34 posts · 20 votes1y
@Bill B. So you believe that by doing it yourself the money you save doesng equal the time and energy spent?
- Flipper/Rehabber · Bloomfield CT · Member since 2020 · 1k+ posts · 408 votes1y
@Bill B. Property owner should never outsource understanding of laws to another party
- Investor · Las Vegas, NV · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 10k+ votes1y
And yet 90% + do not know all the laws that affect their property. And certainly don’t know them the day they are passed or even go in to effect. So their choices are “spend” their personal time becoming an “expert”, spend when they screw up, or pay to hire an expert, either a PM or a lawyer. Because you going to outsource it if you aren’t a lawyer. Hopefully not to Google.
“Stupid” little changes go in effect all the time. We’ve had changes like when rent is late and what can be charged for as “wear and tear” in the last year. These weren’t on the news or in the newspaper. I’m sure 100’s of new laws affecting us are passed yearly that we don’t know about until it affects us directly.
Maybe every time the city, state and federal government passes new laws they should be forced to print “summaries” on their website, or email/mail everyone affected by it. But. As has often been stated. They can only control criminals, so make everyone a criminal in some small way
Plus the other two reasons are reason enough. :-). And that’s before you place ANY value on what your time is worth.
- Flipper/Rehabber · Bloomfield CT · Member since 2020 · 1k+ posts · 408 votes1y
A team doesn't automatically mean people on payroll
- Member since 2025 · 34 posts · 20 votes1y
@James McGovern How does a PM get paid then?
- Real Estate Consultant · Ft. Lauderdale, FL · Member since 2012 · 38 posts · 38 votes1y
Quote from @James McGovern:
@Bill B. Property owner should never outsource understanding of laws to another party
I agree. Owning properties is just another business. Delegate whenever possible. But the less an owner understands his business, the more likely he'll fall victim to employee theft or incompetence in whatever fashion it takes.
- 1yAlecia LovelessPro MemberMember since 2019 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
@Luke Mertz I have 8 multi family properties and perform the role of property manager for them. I have people that handle most of the maintenance although I do help with turnovers. There’s not a viable option in my location for a good, comprehensive property management company.
I generally don’t spend more than 10 hours a week on my properties unless I’m working on a turnover. Which I typically do all the interior painting when needed so that takes some time.
- Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes1y
First question: do you own any properties yet? If not, the question you posted is irrelevant (assuming you're not about to close on a portfolio). Buy one property local to you and see if you can manage it. It won't take you long to figure out if you prefer to self-manage or not. And yes, you can self-manage the entire thing including repairs, rehab and maintenance if you have the skills and tools (or are willing to learn & procure). In fact, personally I think most buy & hold investors should start this way, at least on a property or two, because you will understand what it takes to own & rent a property and know what you should be getting from a PM & repair/maintenance personnel if you want to farm it out.
There does come a point where it's virtually impossible to self-manage all aspects. I still do a lot of things myself, but I'm retired and like being hands-on and staying busy; it's less about saving money and more about a job well done and remaining intimate with my properties. But I am getting older, and some things just have to be farmed out these days for practicality or safety sake.
Skyline Properties- Member since 2025 · 34 posts · 20 votes1y
@JD Martin Was there a point or a number of properties where you switched from doing it yourself to needing others help.
- 1yKristen AmbroseBusiness MemberAccountant · FL · Member since 2024 · 78 posts · 34 votes
Yes, managing 6–10 single family homes yourself is a viable strategy. I know investors who have replaced their full-time income doing exactly that. If you’re organized, handy, and don’t mind being on call, it can work well and save money.
That said, it can become a lot to manage as you scale. Things like tenant screening, maintenance calls, rent collection, and bookkeeping add up. At some point, many investors bring in help so they can focus on growing the business instead of being in the weeds.
As for property managers, the right one can bring real value. They handle tenant issues, showings, leasing, rent collection, and maintenance coordination. That frees up your time and can help avoid costly mistakes. But it depends on the manager. A good one is worth the fee. A bad one isn’t.
It comes down to your goals, time, and personality. Some investors like full control. Others prefer to build a team so they can scale or step back.
Ambrose Bookkeepers530 Reviews - 1yJoey BanasihanPro MemberInvestor · Boise, ID · Member since 2019 · 233 posts · 188 votes
Hey @Luke Mertz -
Definitely a viable strategy—especially if the properties are local and relatively low maintenance. I know a few investors here in Boise doing exactly that: 6 to 10 single-family homes, self-managed, no PM, and it works because they’ve built good systems and bought the right houses up front.
That said, it’s kind of like owning a job. Nothing wrong with that—especially if it replaces your 9–5 and gives you more control. But once you hit a certain scale or want more freedom (travel, expand into new markets, or just not be on call), a property manager becomes less of a cost and more of a leverage point.
As for the “they just take 10%” comment—I get it. But a good PM handles repairs, tenant communication, compliance, renewals, rent collection, bookkeeping, vendor relationships, and more. If they’re just cashing checks, that’s a bad PM—not a broken model.
I think self-managing is a great way to build cash flow early on, but the tradeoff will always be your time. At some point, it’s worth asking what your time is worth. Be intentional—invest in a strong lease (ideally written by a local attorney), stay in tune with your local laws, and keep your systems sharp. The path to financial freedom comes with discomfort—you just get to choose which kind.
Good luck—you got this!
- Investor · VA · Member since 2015 · 21k+ posts · 19k+ votes1y
Quote from @Luke Mertz:
I know local investors who have 6-10 single family homes that they manage themselves, no property manager no maintenance people, just him. Is this a viable strategy? I know at some point if your desire is to scale you would need a team but I've seen people replace their income doing it entirely themself.
Also what are the benefits of a property manager? I've heard lots of people say they do nothing but take 10% so I was wondering what the benefit of one is.I was able to get to around $3M doing it myself, now with a team we just passed $50M. Hope that answers your question :)
7e investments53 Reviews- Member since 2025 · 34 posts · 20 votes1y
@Chris Seveney Oh wow that's amazing, I don't have the desire to be filthy rich, only to never have to worry about money so I think I could do it myself.
- Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes1yI believe Chris is referring to asset value under management. $3M might be 10-20 homes depending on location. As to your question on what point I switched, I actually kind of went upside down. I started off everything myself, then started hiring out a lot of stuff at about 5 because I had a full time job already, and now that I'm retired I generally take care of my own portfolio ~20 homes - and hire out for everything that I manage for others (I have my own brokerage). I still hire out plenty of stuff on my own properties - I don't do my own HVAC, for example - but I hire less stuff than I used to since I need something to do anyway 😁
Quote from @Luke Mertz:
@Chris Seveney Oh wow that's amazing, I don't have the desire to be filthy rich, only to never have to worry about money so I think I could do it myself.
Skyline Properties
- 1yDrew SygitBusiness MemberProperty Manager · Royal Oak, MI · Member since 2012 · 12k+ posts · 9k+ votes
We know investors with 20+ doors they DIY manage,
It's all about what you want to INVEST your time into.
Most investors buy real estate to build wealth and cashflow, so they don't have to work so hard.
DIY managing is the opposite of that.
You can learn a lot by DIY managing your first 1-5 doors, but at a "tipping point" it becomes a 2nd job.
Logical Property Management4.9450 Reviews- Member since 2025 · 34 posts · 20 votes1y
@Drew Sygit So doing DIY at first is a great way to get experience then you can take a step back and get a PM.
What are the pros and cons of having a PM?
- Investor · Fort Washington, MD · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes1y
I have a mixture of both. No way I will manage my STRs. I have one multi I have a PM for. The others I manage because they are easy. If you have the right tenants that take care of your place like their own, in most cases it runs itself. If you know how to screen and have Class a or b rentals you don't need one. If you screen well and pick the right one for Class c, you can be ok. Class D, or any low-income stuff tends to be a lot more work. If you can find a competent PM it's worth it.
- Member since 2025 · 1 post · 0 votes1y
I tried hiring a property manager hoping for true ‘passive income,’ but it turned into managing the manager instead of tenants. My PM was tough to work with—once I was a client, he refused phone calls and only communicated via text. After four frustrating months, I fired him, but not without paying a hefty early termination fee.
Now, I self-manage with Baselane, and it’s been a game-changer. With just two properties, the platform’s automated rent collection, banking features, and tax prep tools make everything seamless. I’m confident I could handle a few more properties this way. - Member since 2025 · 240 posts · 97 votes1y
@Luke Mertz Totally viable if you’re local and enjoy being hands - on. DIY can save you money early on and give you a better understanding of your properties. But as you scale or invest out of state, a property manager becomes key - they handle tenant screening, maintenance, rent collection, and local laws, which can save you serious time (and legal headaches). It really comes down to your goals and how involved you want to be long -term.
- Investor · Milwaukee - Mequon, WI · Member since 2010 · 5k+ posts · 7k+ votes1y
A good ballpark number for property management is about 1h per week per unit. So 40 units is a full-time PM job.
I pushed it to about 30 while working a W2 job and things started to fall through the cracks: for example, I had an ACH payment not run and did not realize for 6 months that I was not collecting any rent from that unit. That's when you know you need help. At that point you can hire a person or farm it out to a PM.
But here is the thing: nobody watches your money like you do...
- Property Manager · Raleigh, NC · Member since 2014 · 728 posts · 596 votes1y
I have self managed 12 properties with little issue. I don't do all the work myself so I call the plumber and hvac contractors when there is an issue. For year long rentals, it is not much day to day work. Main issue is getting new tenants. This generally take a week or so to prep the property, then several weekends interviewing potential tenants. After that, it is mainly doing minor maintanance and contacting contractors for larger jobs.
- Developer · St. Augustine, FL · Member since 2018 · 311 posts · 384 votes1y
Since I'm one of those investor you mentioned, I can speak for it with my own experience and insight from both the perspective of an investor and the perspective of a property manager.
Property Management fee is more like an insurance premium, PM hope nothing goes wrong from the correct tenant placement and relationship management. Trust me, if things go south, assuming a responsible PM, that little PM fee you paid won't cover the resources the PM has to invest to solve the problem. So the PM business is a volume business. If you want to hire one, you want to hire a professional and reputable PM business who has well trained professional staff to manage your property. If you are gonna go with a real estate agent who does PM on the side, or a family member or a friend, you might as well just manage it yourself and keep the 10%. If you do a good job in tenant placement, yeah you don't do anything else but collect the monthly rent, assuming you have a quality conditioned property. You should have a team of trusted vendors where anything breaks, you should be able to call the those people to fix the problem for you and pay the cost. That's what PM will do any way. I don't recommend investors to actually go hands on to respond to maintenance calls unless it's stupidly simple. You should be able to ask your tenants to send you video and photos for any maintenance issues and 90% of the time, you can diagnose based on that and either direct your tenant to fix it (reset a breaker) or call the right vendor to fix it. I'm currently managing 30+ units and I have no problem handling all of these.
One thing I will say it's both an art and a skill to handle tenant relationship correctly, you don't want to be a bend over nor you don't want to be a slumlord. You need to know the Landlord Tenant law and your leases cold so you know where your bottom line is. My strategy that worked well for me is first, to have a iron clad and fair lease, done by an attorney where it's protecting the landlord but also fair for both sides. Then initially, if there's any problems, I give the tenant the benefit of the doubt and I accommodate more leniently. I would say 70% of the tenants I placed, I simply collect rent and don't hear from them again until lease renewal. The other 30%, I might hear something here and there after they moved in, which is very understandable because I might miss something during tenant turnover, I have encountered some high demanding tenants, and usually be genuinely nice to them and be accommodating 99% of those tenants. I might have had 1 or 2 super high demanding tenants throughout my landlord career so far where it didn't matter what I did, they weren't happy. And here is my way out, I have a clause in the lease that I allow the tenants to terminate the lease within 2 weeks of moving in, they have to pay for the remainder of the month rent and we can square away their security deposit after they move out and turn the property over. I can present to them that option saying since nothing I do can make you happy and it seems like you might have made a mistake to rent this property, we don't like unhappy tenants so you can exercise this clause and be out of the lease, give the property back to me with minimum penalties. All of the incidents I mentioned that, the tenants immediately started to back off and say they would love to stay and then I don't hear from them again.
Personally I've been getting so good at property management that it doesn't take much of my time to handle the tenants no matter what situations are. I don't see a late night text as a headache. If I get one, and I think it's an emergency, I'll immediately send my vendor out who's on 24/7 schedule. If it's not an emergency, then I'll respond the next day. This is something you got to train your mind for it. I remember when I started, every time I just feel dreaded when I see a maintenance request from the tenants. I don't anymore. And I've resolved lots of problems and maintained a very good relationship with all of my tenants with what I see as minimum effort. If I have to hire a PM, the PM fee would be well over $60k a year that I don't see it's justified based on how easy is it to me. I can see myself to handle double the volume I currently have.
Here are the criteria for me to hire a PM:
1. out of area. If I own an out of area property that's not feasible for me to manage remotely. I haven't owned one yet and I even have a friend who manage 10+ units remotely by herself without a PM simply have a team of trusted vendor in the area.
2. My personal earning power has exceeded the PM fees I'm saving. Say if I'm making $1M a month, then my time would probably better spent to focus on doing the work that's making me $1M a month than property management
3. I continue to grow my portfolio outside of my capacity. Personally I think I can handle 60 units no problem. So far it's just not the case for us. We have been more or less maintaining the number of units we have, but making each unit more profitable than focusing on growing the quantity.
Lastly, you should know that property management is not a profitable business unless you do it at scale. So if you hire someone who's PM for you but PM is not that person's business and that person is not doing it at scale, then it's to that person's best interest to do as little as possible. Only the PM companies who do it at scale can afford to hire the right staff and give them proper training to handle all the issues and be responsible for your property. There are PM companies who are just a marketing company they do nothing but advertising and onboard property owners. Then there are truly good PM companies where the owner is a good PM and have a team that can best serve the property owners. Only the ladder is worth to hire a PM for. All other cases you might be better off save the money and manage it yourself.
- Accountant · 100% Remote · Member since 2019 · 495 posts · 215 votes1y
@Luke Mertz, it all depends what your goals are. Good PMs make your rentals more passive but you still have to manage the PMs so it's still not 100% passive. I've had terrible PMs that I had to fire and I've had 1 really good PM that I still have today. They make my rentals profitable and as passive as possible so they are well worth the 10%.
Pretty much all the other PMs I've worked with made my life more difficult and were not worth the 10%.
I have friends and bookkeeping clients who self-manage and it's their "job". I also have friends and clients who have built an in-house team to manage everything.
It all roots back to your vision of what you want from all of this.
- Time Capital Bookkeeping (REI since 2019)
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