Long Distance Investing: Seek Partner or Turnkey Company?

[Benton Shortridge]

I am looking into investing in my first property in the Orlando area.  I have the money to invest in the market but am remotely located in Dubai.  I was wondering if it would be preferable to find a partner here on BiggerPockets that is local to the market, or if it would be better to go with a Turnkey company that services the area.  Does anyone on here have experience with remotely investing with either of those methods?  I would be interested to hear your insights.

[Taz Zettergren]

It depends on how much time you have to spend as you get ready to make the investment. If you are a more hands on do it yourself type person I'm sure you could find an agent but this will also include more work. If you want to truly be passive the turnkey option would be a great option but I would do lots of digging with the providers you're looking at. This route you would spend most of your time on the front end vetting providers and if it's a true turnkey company you work with they will hand hold you through the entire buying/managing side of things and do most if not all of that work for you. 
If you went the turnkey route I would definitely find someone that manages their own properties on the back end. This way there is mutual interest and they will be married with you through the longevity of the investment.