Q: My wife and I have bought a four-plex in Scottsdale. How do I find a good property manager in the United States?

A: I salute you for this question! All the joy you can have of making a fine long distance investment can be lost with poor property management.

Whenever I look for a professional in an area new to me, I go to their professional association.

For U.S. property management, go to the website of the Institute of Real Estate Management, www.irem.org. They have a nationwide list of U.S. Certified Property Managers; those holding a professional designation that is recognized by the U.S. National Association of Realtors.

Compile a list of CPMs in Scottsdale and double-check them with realtors and the Better Business Bureau in that area to see whom they would recommend.

Also, you can post the question in “your city.”

Go to the U.S. national real estate website www.trulia.com. After you log onto the site, simply click on “Advice”, then “Ask a Question”. After you type in your question, there is a place to enter your specific city of interest.

You can also click on “Find a Pro,” then go to the link for property managers, to see who is listed there, and read their profiles.

Ozzie Jurock is a senior real estate adviser at www.jurock.com. He can be reached by email at oz@jurock.com