@Curt Davis  I agree with your premise on running the numbers... if investors are buying in these markets that are well known for stable pricing IE not much if any real appreciation .." you should not expect it and it should only be a bonus "  we hear that time and again someone must have coined it and so these investor repeat it LOL... but if that's the case then building a ROI porforma and throwing in any kind of appreciation is not going to be accurate.. the only real appreciation that I have seen in the 7 markets I personally work in is on the wholesale side were you guys picked up houses for 20 to 25k before rehab.. now they are 25 to 35k.. and that generally has not translated to any benefit for the long term buy and holder.. they will always be competing against the very organized sales outfits like you guys.. so there is no way they can sell a home for more than what ever you or MI or any other turn key company is selling it for your all fishing out of the same barrel.what the turn key buyer wants to keep in mind is just like our thought process out here on the west coast were break even or even a little negative is just fine and dandy.. your tenant is paying your house off your real profit or gain is when your properties are paid for and someone else has paid for it.. to me any spendable cash flow on a rental is TOTAL gravy and over a long hold period you pump a lot of that back into the home as turnover and cap ex on rentals is far more than any proformas .So in my mind Turn key  for the WHY mid west has  that @Joel Owens is wondering about.1. simply the new starter property choice for those priced out of their own markets this is the number one driver.. 2.

I choose to look at it as an added bonus that a landlord gets the opportunity to pick and choose his customer with a considerable amount of detail and to his/her benefit :)

"she's a R.N. so being at a hospital was a bonus" Good news ER Dr cleared her for home, we had 2 other Dr's clear her for work, so all is clear but with some issues that are still a mystery even after tests and multiple ultrasounds.

Heck for the guy whose done his own repairs you might even want to just give him a bonus free month or something to recognize his contributions.

No different than people who give referral bonus.   

Cash flow would be a nice bonus.

Prices are too high in Seattle and cash flow is too low.An added bonus is that the likely target of an attack would be the dense city center.

@Chris Chesser were you able to get the bonus material for @Scott Trench's book?

I agree that hiring a VA can be a huge bonus to your productivity and recommend that they be versed in the real estate trade.

If you have an employer that matches 401k contributions, and are eligible to use a 401k loan as part of the down payment to buy a home, then effectively you've set it up so that your employer is giving you a tax-advantaged "retirement" bonus income that you can apply towards a down payment today.