Anyone strictly turnkey?

[Travis Hagan]

I’m very interested in a passive investment strategy, and not really into the whole flipping thing. I like the idea of turnkey, and I’d love to hear any experiences y’all have with them? 
I'm looking into the markets of Memphis, TN. I have around 700k to work with. Any advice is appreciated. Much thanks! 

[Chris Clothier]

Quote from @Travis Hagan:

I’m very interested in a passive investment strategy, and not really into the whole flipping thing. I like the idea of turnkey, and I’d love to hear any experiences y’all have with them? 
I'm looking into the markets of Memphis, TN. I have around 700k to work with. Any advice is appreciated. Much thanks! 

Hey Travis,

I have a lot of advice on this topic, lol. I started buying properties in Memphis passively in 2002. Of course, I was buying from family and the whole turnkey process was not really a thing at the time, but buying from family gave me a lot of confidence. We would all tell you that we were not very good at the whole process back then. Renovations weren't very good and management was probably worse. Two decades later, a lot has been learned. I was the first client of what would become Memphis Invest and then REI Nation and in 2007 I joined my family as a partner in the company. I have a bit of experience on both sides as an investor who only invests passively and a provider who has a couple of decades of learning what I believe are the best practices under my belt.

My biggest advice is to realize the word turnkey does not mean the same thing to everyone you are going to want to talk to.  You should talk to multiple companies because there are a few good ones in Memphis and each may do some things a little differently.  From different price points to different parts of the city and even different preferences on renovations and management.  The good thing is, you should be able to find a good fit and a company that can meet your needs.  Here are some questions I have advised investors to ask through the years.  Whether you are hiring a turnkey company or just a management company, these are important questions.  I'm happy to give what I think are the best answers to these as well. Again, I made this list based on my own experiences.

Two important things to remember. 

One, if they don't have time to spend with you and answer your questions in detail and discuss them, in my opinion, move on. 

Two, a key about asking questions is to ask a mirror question. Many companies have learned how to sell and how to market and certainly how to answer questions like this. Often answers are scripted and your job as an investor is to ask the right questions in the right way to answer for yourself whether you can trust what you re hearing. It is also important to remember that investors like myself always advise meeting who you're going to do business with. That is important because it allows you to see for yourself if the answers you heard match what you see on the ground. A mirror question is where you ask what is the average vacancy rate each month. Write down the answer. Sometime later in the conversation you ask the mirror question of what is your average occupancy each month. Write that answer down.

A high quality company will be on top of their KPI's and their numbers will match. A 3.5% vacancy number will match a 96.5% occupancy number.

Lastly, after you have their numbers research what you were told. I'll never forget a conversation with an investor who was amazed that a turnkey company had a 1.5% vacancy rate and a 98.5% occupancy. It sounded amazing. He asked how many properties they managed and the answer was roughly 1500. He then went onto their website online and researched their property management online and was shocked. Their website listed 198 properties for rent. They had an ad online for prospective tenants advertising 200+ vacant rentals. Their true vacancy rate was roughly 13% not 1.5%. But they felt like they had to market a low rate to "keep up with the Joneses". So ask your questions, get your data and do your research online to see if everything matches.

Are you an investor?

Do you own in the exact neighborhoods you are selling?

How many investors do you work with?

Do you own all facets of the operation?

Do you offer rental or maintenance guarantees? If they answer yes, ask them why. Then ask them if they will put the guarantee on year three.

Do you defer maintenance?

How many properties do you manage?

Do you own the properties you sell?

How long have you been in the business?

What is your average vacancy rate?

What percentage of expiring leases will renew their lease each month?

What percentage of signed leases fulfill their full term?

What is the average number of days a property is vacant between tenants, move-out to move-in?

What percentage of billed rent do you collect each month?

What is the cost of an average repair bill after move-out?

What are your management fees?

What percentage of collected rent goes to yearly maintenance on average?

What is your average number-of-months occupancy per property?

What is your average occupancy rate?

What programs do you have in place to keep residents happy?

What customer service programs do you have in place?

Will you call me every month with an update on my portfolio?

How many team members are dedicated solely to providing service to your clients?

What has been your biggest mistake as an investor? How do you protect your clients from making the same mistakes?