Managing/renting out-of-state rental properties

I live in LA and am new to REI. I don’t have a lot of cash (yet) for down payments and am interested in investing in Phoenix. I used to live there and know the area. I’ve noticed that median prices are about $100,00 less than LA.

I would prefer to live near my rental properties but am not at all willing to move back to Phoenix. Would it be advisable to hire a management company to do the rental work? Is it still profitable for the RE investor?

Out of state investing could be profitable even though you have to outsource management. You just have to buy right, do your cash flow analysis, get a good team on the ground.