New to Investing and need some direction

[Cathie Lazarus]

Hi,

I am a Los Angeles resident looking to make my first OOS investment.  I am interested in a buy and hold property - possibly a turnkey.  I have narrowed down my search to a couple of cities, but my biggest dilemma is figuring out how to find a good team in that OOS city.  Who is it best to connect with first?  Should I find a real estate agent, a property manager or a turnkey company?  My biggest fear is not finding the best representation I can.  Any advice here would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!!!

[Marcus Auerbach]

I usually recommend to my OOS clients to rather buy a property in turnkey condition than from a turnkey company. Two very different things.

The incentive to fudge numbers and cover up conditions is very high for turn key companies. If they are larger the pressure employees to meet their numbers, which leads to a lot of grey being called white.

If you buy a property that has been romodeled by the owner you can usually count on the fact that they have been watching the contractor carefully.