15d • General discussion
Thoughts on Building Your REI Team
Most people think “building a real estate team” means hiring employees.
But honestly, the first “team” you need is your third-party team — the people you can plug into deal after deal, who already know how you operate, and who keep you out of trouble (and save you a ton of time).
Here are the core roles I think every serious investor should have lined up:
1) A real estate attorney (not optional)
This isn’t just for lawsuits (though you’ll be glad you have them if something goes sideways).
A good attorney helps with:
- Closing support (reviewing documents, spotting weird language, explaining what you’re actually signing)
- Lease disputes / tenant issues
- Demand letters when you need to get someone’s attention fast
- General “this feels sketchy” situations that come up during ownership
If you own enough property long enough, you will run into disagreements. Having an attorney you already trust means you’re not scrambling when the pressure is on.
2) Title + escrow you can reuse over and over
This one is huge. You want a title/escrow team that:
- moves fast
- communicates clearly
- already understands how you work
The goal is to be able to say, “Here’s my purchase agreement,” send it over, and they just run the play.
3) Broker teams (deal flow)
Even if you’re off-market heavy, brokers still matter.
Good brokers can:
- bring you deals before they hit the open market (or at least early)
- give you intel on pricing, comps, and who’s active
- help you understand what’s happening in a submarket
And if you treat them well and close when you say you’re going to close, you become someone they want to bring deals to.
4) Boots on the ground (local eyes and hands)
This is the role people underestimate the most, especially when you’re investing out of town.
Whether it’s a reliable handyman, a trusted local contact, or a property manager’s field team — you need someone who can:
- walk units
- take photos/videos
- check on projects
- verify what’s really happening (not what someone says is happening)
This is how you avoid getting surprised.
5) Third-party property manager (if you’re not self-managing)
If you’re scaling, or you value your time, a property manager can be worth their weight in gold — if you choose the right one and manage the relationship.
A good PM helps with:
- tenant communication
- maintenance coordination
- rent collection
- reporting
But remember: you still own the asset. The PM runs the day-to-day, but you’re responsible for the results.
6) Bookkeeper (clean books = real scalability)
If your books are messy, you don’t actually know how your properties are performing — and you’ll feel it at tax time, refinance time, and sale time.
A bookkeeper keeps you tight on:
- income/expense categorization
- monthly reporting
- clean P&Ls
- tracking reimbursements, vendor payments, etc.
This is one of the easiest hires to justify because it eliminates chaos.
7) Marketing help (this one is internal, not third-party)
This is the one exception on my list.
Marketing isn’t really a “third-party vendor” role for most of us — it’s something you typically hire in-house for (or have a dedicated person/contractor who is basically part of your team).
But I love having someone focused on marketing for properties because it directly impacts:
- occupancy
- lead flow
- tenant quality
- and ultimately NOI
Even “boring” assets need marketing.
If you’re early in your investing journey, don’t overcomplicate this.
Just start building these relationships one by one, and keep the good ones close. Over time, you’ll have a go-to team you can deploy on every deal — and that’s when things start to feel a lot easier (and a lot more scalable).
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Thoughts on Building Your REI Team
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