It’s relatively simple and, while it does cost money, it’s one of the more cost-effective options.

There is no doubt that on a one off basis you can do it cheaper, but having the infrastructure to turn 5, 10, 25 or 50 units in any given month is not simple and requires a real commitment.

So simple find someone that does deals, make a few bux for a finders fee.

@Kwok Wong it should be as simple as contacting your preferred lender and telling them you have a house you are ready to finance.

I use very simple contracts when direct with sellers.

A nice SFR (single family rental) brick home or perhaps a duplex but for your first purchase actually, wise to just stick with an SFR to keep it real simple.

I would start simple and do a house hack.

My thoughts on turnkeys is simple: get your head examined.

For something as simple as a deck the permit approval takes a MONTH then they want to inspect the hole for the footers, then they want a separate inspection once the footer is poured and the window to get those inspections done is from 1-3pm and maybe the guy shows up in that time window, maybe he came early and you missed him and need to reschedule, or maybe it's 3:30 when he shows up in a terrible mood and fails you for some ridiculous reason, or maybe they tell you at 3:45 when you call in to see where the inspector is that he won't make it that day and you've wasted 4 hours waiting on some city employee to show up... there is no way to price that into a quote.A more experienced contractor will have better pricing from local suppliers they use and trust than you will ever get as an out of state investor - they spent years earning those discounts and trust the product supplied. 

It is not always simple or straight forward.