They can occasionally be like a meat market.No matter what, always reach out here to help check the numbers and the details.  

I'm a firefighter in Wa and we occasionally get houses donated for training.

I've built most of my own house myself which is both an asset and liability in the flipping game.It would be very easy for me to buy a fixer and spend 6 months fixing it myself with the occasional day labor helper. 

Instead, they let the turnkey company and/or the management company deal with the property and the residents, which is where headaches can occasionally come from (for example, rehabs, maintenance, leasing, collections, etc.).That said, at the end of the day, the numbers need to make sense to you since it's your money.If you haven't found the right investment vehicle yet, just keep looking.  

After 2 years there, I moved out, but maintained occasional contact with the couple.I recently contacted them again, and expressed interest in the property, to find that they have since moved a few hours away nearer to one of their children, and that managing this property has become difficult enough that given the right situation, they would be interested in selling. 

So I occasionally browse the Craigslist "housing wanted" section to look for potential tenants.

I can tell you I'd rather be able to drive to my property and check it out occasionally (assuming you're outsourcing management) rather than flying to Cleveland.

They are not that common in the DC area but they do come up occasionally. 

I am now following a wholesaler's mailing list and occasionally see properties that I would be interested in. 

I don't handle vacation rental management either, but I do receive requests occasionally.