When you are looking to get into real estate investing, you will want to spend some time learning about property management. Most people will focus on getting a property and finding a good deal. These are important parts of the investing process, but managing your property is the second half of the investing process. So what is property management? It’s the part that helps you get the money out of your investment.All property has to be managed by someone. You can manage some property by yourself or you can have a property management company do part of it for you. There is even the third option that is a mixture of you and the property management company working together to take care of all the parts of your investment.The main reason that you need a help is leverage. The more properties that you buy over time, the more time you’ll spend managing the operation of your properties. An investment company can save you a lot of time by taking care of many portions of normal maintenance and management. When there is someone else taking care of your investment, you have more time to go look for more investments.The main reason that many people do not use help for their properties is because they want to do it themselves or do not think that the money spent on a management company is worth the cost.Managing a property yourself allows you to save the most money and be the most directly involved the your investment. Many people enjoy being in control of their finances more directly. Sometimes you will have problems that you need to overcome with bad tenants though.The cost of an investment company is normally a percentage of the monthly rent. This type of compensation helps motivate the property management company to keep your units full and rented out. If they do not have the property rented out, then neither of you will make any money.A good property management company will be able to help you take care of more investment properties without having to spend as much time taking care of each unit. This leverage is what helps many top investors to grow a portfolio of real estate investments from just a few to several hundred.So what is property management to you? You can choose to make someone part of your real estate investing team or you can choose to do it on your own. Whichever way you choose, you will need to take care of your investments.