New OOS investor looking for Turnkey. Help deciding company

[Wei Jie Yang]

Hi guys, I'm a new investor trying to find the  and am trying to find the right turnkey company to work  with. 

I think the most important thing about finding the right turnkey company is finding a great property management team and worry about the area later. I came with a list (with commentary):

Memphis Invest - The golden standard. Property might be a tad more expensive but if turnover and repairs are minimal then I'm fine with that. Another plus is that they are in five markets going to seven. They also seem to have thrown out their requirement of buying two houses initially with them as well, which works great for me. I did the initial consultation with them and got preapproved by two of their lenders already but haven't pulled the trigger for part 2 since I wanted to research other companies first. Currently my top pick. Can anyone share their experience with them and help me decide which market I should invest in with them?

Smartlands(Ohio) - Interested in the Cleavland Market. The only "full" turnkey company I know of in the Cleavland area. Had an initial consultation with them where they promised to send me a list of their approved vendors as well as any current deals they have open for me to look at. It's been almost two weeks and I haven't heard back from them. I tried emailing the rep I talked to a few times and no response. I'll just chalk it up to me giving them too long a time frame for my purchase(I told them 3-6 months at the time. Now I've made up my mind to 1-3 months though) during my initial phone call more then anything else, as there customer service reputation on these forums seems to be pretty stellar.

Holton Wise(Ohio) - The whole reason I am interested in the Cleavland market thanks to @Jameswise blog and his youtube videos. Holton-Wise does not seem to be a "Full" turnkey company however. They seem more like a realtor with a PM and renovation arm. They seem more like a company I want to work with for my third or fourth deal, not my first or second. 

JWB (Florida) - Great reputation, sample of properties given is by far the more expensive out of any companies I've seen. Cash flow seems really poor. Expenses seem really high. It seems that the only real play is Appreciation for these Florida houses? Or maybe just an alternative to investing in Treasury/Fixed income interest rate products if an investor is paying for everything in cash. Am I missing anything?

Spartan Investment(Alabama) - Their biggerpocket presence seems good. Alot of people on this forums  vouched for @Clayton mobley and Spartan invest which makes me feel great about possibly investing with them. I just have two issues with them. The issue I have is it seems that Birmingham in general seems to be declining. Population is decreasing and has been for DECADES.  Also there is a recent thread about several Spartan investor not being able to evict their tenants due to "sheriff backlog". I believe one guy has had this issue since June and it still hasn't been resolved yet. That being said, that sounds more like an area issue rather than a Spartan Invest issue, but still, it's in the area that Spartan invest are in. Anyone has any local knowledge of the Birmingham area know where the Sheriff department has such a terrible backlog of evictions as of late?

Turnkey Investment Properties(Memphis and Little Rock) - @Alex Criag seems to come highly recommended on this Biggerpockets. I've even seen @Chris Clothier recommended his him on several occasions! @Alex Criag's company seems to work in a rougher part of Memphis than Memphis invest. Does anyone have any experience working with him and his team? I know some of their investors had weird experiences. Was that due to the area that @Alex Criag invest in being rougher  or was it more bad luck more than anything?

Buy memphis Now! - Comes highly recommended again by the BP forums. From what I can gather either uses @Chris Clothier PM company or @Alex Criags. Seems to be in the same neighborhood as @alex Criag as well. Any benefit of using @Curt Davis over @Alex Criag or vice versa? Well, other than wanting to invest in multifamilies and in Little rock that @alex Criag offers?

Can anyone throw in their suggestions, experiences, and critiques on my though process?

[Alex Craig]

@Dean Letfus I agree with a lot of what you are saying, but disagree with the 2 bathrooms are always easier to rent.  In some areas, it is a must such as Barlett, Hickroy Hill, 38125, 38119 and a few others, But in 38117, 38118 and 38111, it doesn't make a difference. We rent houses in those zips all day that are 2/1, 3/1 and 3/1.5 all day and quickly. My best rental is a 2/1 in Colonial Acres that I have rented twice within 2 days of being vacant for $1,025. Off the top of my head, I would guess 1/2 of my portfolio is 2/1 and 3/1. So long as these are owned in the right area, they rent just as fast. You may disagree, but I have first hand experience as an owner of these and manager of almost 700 properties that says these do rent just as quick. Again, the key is the right area and most of the time, it is inside the 240 loop.  Another reason I love owning 2/1's and 3/1's is less wear and tear because typically less people living in the homes, less maintenance cost because of one less bathroom (plumbing is the # 1 maintenance call we get by far), roofs are smaller to replace, HVAC units are smaller, turn cost is smaller--everything about a 2/1 and 3/1 is cheaper to operate, thus why I love that 2/1 that I get over $1,000 a month for.