Obviously depends on your situation and how many units you're managing.If you do go the PM route, definitely interview at least 3-4 companies and ask how they handle maintenance calls, vacancy turnovers, and what their fee structure looks like (watch out for hidden fees).

I am going to list them:TurboTenantIt is completely free to advertise your rental, screen your tenants.You upload your pictures, write a description and it posts to 20+ websites for freeTakes about 24-48 hours for leads to come in.Once you select a tenant, they pay for the background check, upload documents (paystubs, ID, W2) and it is all set to you.It even helps you build a lease after you select a tenant (there is a $30+ fee for the lease)My referral code .disclosure.

Where these deals usually differ is in the details—fees, prepayment penalties, and how conservative the appraisal ends up being.If you move forward, I’d focus less on just the rate and more on the full term sheet: points, prepay, seasoning requirements, and whether the rate is fixed or adjustable.

Key things to look at are cleaning fees and turns per month.. cleaning is the biggest expense in STR and you want to model those realistically as possible. 

Your friends are not just hiring you to save money, they are hiring you for communication, tenant screening, rent collection, maintenance coordination, and protecting their property while they are away.When you pitch it, focus less on the lower fee and more on the value.

We as a property manager earn more on property management fees due to increased rental amount, we make a real estate commission once it closes split by Buyer / Seller and everyone is happy. 

Lenders move faster when the exit is obvious and supported by comps, not projections.Clean structureStraightforward ownership, clean title, no exotic entities, and a basic capital stack.

If you shop it, you might get lower rates/fees but also keep in mind you are putting yourself at risk, trusting a new lender you never worked with to get the deal done.Besides just the rate/terms, make sure whoever you reach out to is reputable. 

Keep stacking up those 0-buy "victories" and that's how your going to get to a dang-good closed buy victory. 

Things like application fees, late fees, pet rent, and laundry tend to be more durable if they’re already in place and collected consistently.