Discouraged by a Pattern Here

[Alex SImon]

First of all, sorry if this comes off a bit negative.  I'm posting it in the off-topic forum because I don't rightly know which forum it belongs in.

Okay, so I've been doing some research into turnkey RE investing because I am stuck in the Middle East for the next few years and I need something that I can take a hands-off approach on. Now, I've been doing plenty of searching and reading lots of forum topics about Turnkey real estate providers and they all tend to go the same way:

"Can anyone give me advice on turnkey real estate providers?"

In reply, you usually see a few posts that sound like this:

"Sure! They're probably all scammers pitching you inflated rent numbers while downplaying the actual operating costs, and the properties themselves are probably garbage. There's nothing about a Turnkey company's services that you can't replicate with your own due diligence. And if you can't do your own due diligence, then maybe you shouldn't be investing in real estate."

For those of us who are stuck abroad, either in the military or contracting or otherwise unable to fly out on a whim, without any boots on the ground in great markets all over the country, there has to be a better answer besides "scammers everywhere!" and "you're not cut out for this!" The other bit of advice I keep seeing is to reach out to other investors in that area, but that comes right back to the "scammers everywhere!" issue and the other elephant in the room, that even if you luck out and connect with someone who isn't out to shank you between the ribs at the drop of a hat, you'll have to give up part of your deal and sacrifice half or more of your profits.

Has anyone ever had any real, actual, verified, positive dealings with turnkey companies?  Not just theoretical ones, but actually gone and bought a property from *any* turnkey company, or are we all just going in circles talking about how awful they must be and no one has actually tried it?  If nobody can make these work, how is there a market for them?

[Levi Bennett]

Can I just say something? You don't NEED a "turnkey provider" company. At all.

I'm an agent that deals almost exclusively with overseas investors looking to buy turnkey investment properties. I'm not out to scam anyone because my license dictates that I have to be fair as a public agent, and this is my career, so why would I be out to "scam" anyone? I'm going to tell you the truth of the situation as best I can. I'm not here to give investment advice either, but I CAN point you to the numbers and show you how comparable properties have performed. My very small office did almost 30 million in sales last year, and about 35% of those sales were to foreign investors who bought turnkey properties sight unseen.... so.. flat out, the answer to your question, "Can anyone give me advice on turnkey real estate providers?" Yes. I'd be more than happy to. But you don't need a provider. Just tell me what you're trying to accomplish and I'll help you select a short list of properties and we'll make it work for you. And no, I'm not hear to scam you, my commission is based on a successful real estate deal that is paid for by the seller. Hopefully your experience and investment is so enjoyable that you'll want to come back (as most of my clients do). 

If you're trying to invest near Disney, you don't even NEED a "turnkey" investment. I'm working with a client right now purchasing a bank owned, and we're working on a plan to have it ready to rent in the short term rental market in 6 weeks. I can even arrange for a house to be furnished, help you with selecting a property management company, insurance, everything else you can think of to make it a great investment property for short term or long term rentals. It's all up to you honestly and what your goals are. But more than likely, whatever you're trying to accomplish is doable in the Orlando market. Rent prices for both short and long term rentals are very high, and I have many clients are who are making a ridiculous passive income by investing in real estate here. Let me know your thoughts man!