have you checked out BiggerPockets [1]? I'm just getting started in some small-time REI/landlording and that site's been a great inspiration. One great resource is podcast #37 [2] where they interview a guy who does real estate over there in CA pretty successfully. He talks a lot about wholesaling (which I don't care about) but he also explains how he built an automated system around his rentals; he doesn't use an external property manager, but he also almost never directly interacts with his tenants.
I imagine any of us here, being techie entrepreneurial-minded people, could build a system like that pretty easily. Create a website to market your rentals/show vacancies, post them to craigslist when necessary, find a general contractor to fill work orders and hire a V.A. to take calls and submit those work orders. I'm probably missing some things, but that's the basic framework for my plans.
I imagine any of us here, being techie entrepreneurial-minded people, could build a system like that pretty easily. Create a website to market your rentals/show vacancies, post them to craigslist when necessary, find a general contractor to fill work orders and hire a V.A. to take calls and submit those work orders. I'm probably missing some things, but that's the basic framework for my plans.
[1] http://www.biggerpockets.com/
[2] http://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2013/09/26/lifestyle...