My Turnkey Experience with Real Wealth Network (RWN)

My Turnkey Experience with Real Wealth Network (RWN)

Construction Project Manager · Sycamore, IL · Member since 2015 · 91 posts · 109 votes

I've been getting a lot of inquiries about my experience with Real Wealth Network, so I figured I would post some more details on this new thread to try to answer some of your questions. 

In early 2017 I went to visit the Alabama markets of Montgomery and Huntsville with a RWN tour.  The first day we toured Huntsville, walked quite a few properties in various stages of rehab, and had a good tour of the city and different neighborhoods.  On the second day, we did the same in Montgomery.  I live in IL and it's no secret my home state has some issues, along with one of the highest property tax rates in the country.  I have a good number of local doors, but was looking to diversify a little.  The AL markets showed strong cash flows, which is what I'm looking for! 

In March 2017 I pulled the trigger and bought a house in Huntsville, and one in Montgomery through RWN's local turnkey provider, ROI Turnkey Properties. I paid mid $80k for each house and got conventional 30yr fixed loans. The rents were $850 in Montgomery, which was already rented at time of purchase, and a projected $925 rent on the Huntsville property that was vacant upon closing.

Montgomery: Shortly after I closed on the Montgomery property, I got a call from my property manager letting me know that the drain was slow to drain. After some exploration, it was determined that the sewer line from the house to the street had roots growing through it and that their estimate was $2,500-$3,000 to fix it. (not a good way to start off a turnkey experience - Right?) Well I sent an email to both RWN and ROI, explaining that this issue was probably known before I closed on the property because there were already tenants in place. Ben, my RWN adviser instructed me not to pay for the repairs, and that ROI would be on the hook for them. They did make the necessary repairs and it didn't cost me a dime!

Later in the year, I learned that the tub was cracked. The tub had a fiberglass liner over the old tub and the new one had cracked. Since ROI gives a 1 year warranty on all their rehab items, they went in and repaired that for me as well.

Huntsville: I closed on this property without a tenant, but was confident that it would be filled quickly because it was March, and we were just coming into the good lease up months. The original property management company was ok with correspondence, but as a month went by, I started to "bug" them a little more, asking how the lease up was coming. Shortly after, I got a call from ROI that they were not happy with the property management company and that they were going to switch to another company that we'll call "X" and the new company was averaging placements within 72 Hours! I was excited about that, but it took awhile for the new company to take over, and I'm left with a vacant property in the meantime. So X takes over and I'm needing to get a tenant placed soon, so I waited a week to get some details, and I called and left a message. Over the course of probably 6 weeks, I would leave voicemails, emails, texts to just about every contact I had, and I would say I got a response about 5% of the time. Finally, the 4 month mark from when I closed on the property was coming up and still nothing. So I got on Zillow to check the rental listing out and I was going to call to see what kind of service I got as a potential renter. The number listed was one of the numbers that I already had, that never called me back. So I borrowed a friends' phone with a different area code (in case they were screening my calls) and when I called the listed number, it went straight to a recording that the number was no longer listed! I was beyond pissed! I immediately called every contact I had with X and ROI, and nobody answered the phone. So I emailed everyone within the 2 companies and said that if I don't hear from anyone within 24 hours, I'm going to start screaming from the rooftops! Well, after closer to 30 hours, I still hadn't heard anything, so I sent one more email, which bluntly displayed my displeasure, demanding someone pay me at least 2 months lost rent, and firing X at the same time. I sent the email to all my contacts within X, ROI, and RWN (including Kathy Fettke). My phone started ringing within minutes this time! First it was X wondering what they needed to do to make things right. I said that I just need you to give up the keys and walk away. Jared with ROI called me shortly after, and we had a long conversation, where he was deeply apologetic, and was going through a lot of the same issues with X on his end. He instantly agreed to send me 2 months rent, and I had the check in hand a few days later. I had found a smaller, local company to take over the duties of property management, and they returned all of my correspondence very quickly, usually within minutes. I found them on BiggerPockets, and thanks @Zachary C., you and your wife were (and still are) lifesavers for me! After switching over to the new company, it was rented out within a week or two, and rent has been deposited in my account monthly. 

I have had some correspondence with ROI since then, and I know that they too have fired X for the same reasons as I did, and they are now using AHI Properties to manage their turnkeys. I did honor my contract with X for the entire one year, but as of yesterday, my Montgomery property is now managed by AHI as well. Still too early to tell how they are doing, but I know they were/are having difficulties getting any records from the old company. However, David with AHI has been very good with all correspondence so far, and at this point, I know they will be a lot better than the old company.

I highly recommend RWN , as they are a large community of investors, and they definitely had my back! Had I gone alone on the deals, I would have likely been replacing the sewer line and fixing the tub in Montgomery and wouldn't have gotten reimbursed rent from Huntsville. To clarify, I think ROI would have taken care of me, but I never would have found out who they were, had it not been for RWN. So I probably would have just bought off of the MLS from a random seller.

So where do I go from here?  I actually just bought a duplex in Huntsville on 2/15/18 with my new friends from Huntsville and I'm trying this more direct method of acquisition instead of the turnkey model.  I couldn't do it without the Cole's!  They have been through a few properties, and taken video with commentary while they walk the property and sent that to me.  I also just picked up another local (IL)deal mid February, so now I'm taking a small break to get everything running on all cylinders and build up some more cash for my next deal!

Sorry for the novel, but I wish I had something like this before I used a turnkey company, so I hope this helps!  Let me know if you have any questions, I'm happy to share!

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East Palo Alto, CA · Member since 2017 · 19 posts · 17 votes
7y

I’ve unfortunately had bad experience with Real Wealth Network. I flew to Cincinatti after being on the waiting list to purchase there for over six months. I was all ready to purchase since Missy Has such a great reputation among  members - “she is worth the wait” is what everyone said. 

I wasn’t able to buy because The woman who handled sales was on a long phone call. 

I wrote follow up emails to both Missy and the woman in charge of investor relations. I haven’t heard anything back for months  

In the meantime I lucked into a personal referral in another market and have bought a home with much better ROI.

It is apparent to me that the homes are sold at about 30,000 over the local market value. (We are talking 100,000$ homes so that’s a 30% markup and still no customer service).   The explanation provided by the affiliates is that they have done stellar rehab on the homes so they are worth the extra money    I don’t know how investors are fairing because the margins are tight at this point in the market in Ohio.  I would maybe not begrudge the profit if I hadn’t been completely ignored after taking four days to go see the area. It’s dissapointing because I love the real wealth network podcasts and what they say they are trying to do.  

We had even worse experience with their north Texas affiliate who required us to sign an exclusive contract with her prior to looking at her offerings. 

She was late to a phone appointment with my husband who observed a new post to her personal Facebook while she was running late. She did not seem to understand that home prices could possibly ever go down.   So- not every impressive.  

I really wish I had more positive information. 

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  • Construction Project Manager · Sycamore, IL · Member since 2015 · 91 posts · 109 votes
    6y

    @Tamar Hermes the majority of my units are in Northern IL, Rockford area. I originally started this thread outlining my experience with RWN in Alabama. I bought 2 houses with RWN, and have since bought another SFR and Duplex there as well.

    @Delbert Standifer, I’m a firm believer that you can make or lose money in any market. Listen to BP podcasts, and take in anything you can, and you’ll no longer be a newbie! I’ve always wanted to invest in RE, and a lot of people told me not to, and I listened to them for too long! Starting to invest in RE was probably the best financial decision I’ve ever made! Go to Detroit and realize that you’re riding with salesmen, but make your own informed decision, and pull the trigger if it feels right! I think buying a RWN turnkey is a good way to get in the game and you’ll learn a lot, then maybe you go out and put a deal together yourself after that. Believe in yourself! Good Luck!

  • Tamar HermesPro Member
    Real Estate Coach · Austin, TX · Member since 2019 · 84 posts · 28 votes
    6y

    @Caleb Heimsoth. Greenville, Texas. I don’t know about the return yet because it still hasn’t rented. I agree it could be higher, but appreciation in that area may end up working in my favor.

  • Member since 2019 · 248 posts · 248 votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Delbert Standifer:

    @Paul S. Why because I'm a newbie?

     Even the most seasoned OOS investor has very little chance of making it in Detroit

  • Rental Property Investor · Durham, NC · Member since 2016 · 7k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    6y

    @Tamar Hermes even if it’s vacant you should know roughly what you should get in rent and you should definitely know what you paid for it. If you don’t, then that’s a problem

  • Tamar HermesPro Member
    Real Estate Coach · Austin, TX · Member since 2019 · 84 posts · 28 votes
    6y

    @Kyle N. Did you buy your last two with RWN? I agree with everything you are saying!

  • Construction Project Manager · Sycamore, IL · Member since 2015 · 91 posts · 109 votes
    6y

    @Tamar Hermes I bought last two with connections I made on here at BP and got better deals than RWN was offering.

  • Drew SygitBusiness Member
    Property Manager · Royal Oak, MI · Member since 2012 · 13k+ posts · 9k+ votes
    6y

    @Delbert Standifer: In what metro Detroit cities are you looking at properties

    If you are looking in the City of Detroit, be VERY careful! As @Paul S. alluded to above, you can easily lose a lot of money in Detroit if you don't know what you're doing. Pay attention to the following:

    1) How many board-ups, burnouts & blowouts there are on the street and within 2 blocks surrounding the your target purchase.
    2) Warranties on repairs.
    3) What specifically are you expected to handle vs the referred Property Manager? One of the bigger Detroit turn-key providers has their own PM and if you read their management agreement it states the property owner is required to handle all utilities, get the lawn cut and snow removed. How are you going to do that remotely?

    Our advice is to ALWAYS interview a recommended PM along with 2 others. Don't hire the cheapest, hire the most thorough! The City of Detroit offers investors great opportunities, but has a lot of low demographic related issues that require better than average PM thoroughness.

  • Investor · Napa, CA · Member since 2016 · 101 posts · 53 votes
    6y

    @Delbert Standifer RWN's Detroit affiliate is managing two of my duplexes and I'm less than happy.  I like the people, it's just that they are very understaffed.  I have expenses from 9 months ago that have still not been applied to my account.  I have to contact them to get my money.  I need to look over my books to make sure they're correct/get them corrected.  Be prepared to spend a lot of time managing them.  I feel for them --- Detroit is a difficult market to be a PM -- constantly dealing with evictions and (often unwarranted) citations from the city.  Also, there are a lot of regulations and registrations that you need to be aware of and manage.  For all of this, I'm going to move my money to another area.  So if you're interested in a duplex with nice returns in good B neighborhoods (and required certifications), I'm looking to sell both of them! 

  • Member since 2019 · 248 posts · 248 votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Elizabeth Goff:

    @Delbert Standifer RWN's Detroit affiliate is managing two of my duplexes and I'm less than happy.  I like the people, it's just that they are very understaffed.  I have expenses from 9 months ago that have still not been applied to my account.  I have to contact them to get my money.  I need to look over my books to make sure they're correct/get them corrected.  Be prepared to spend a lot of time managing them.  I feel for them --- Detroit is a difficult market to be a PM -- constantly dealing with evictions and (often unwarranted) citations from the city.  Also, there are a lot of regulations and registrations that you need to be aware of and manage.  For all of this, I'm going to move my money to another area.  So if you're interested in a duplex with nice returns in good B neighborhoods (and required certifications), I'm looking to sell both of them! 

     Another OOS investors learns the hard way... sorry you were sold on Detroit.  PM me with some addresses and I'll take a look at the properties. I'm sure RWN sold you the properties for double market though

  • Investor · Napa, CA · Member since 2016 · 101 posts · 53 votes
    6y

    @Paul S. I'm not sorry I am in Detroit at all! It's been a great experience and I've made/will make some good money. I've seen both of my duplexes (and did got get them through RWN) as well as others that I'm working on, and am quite familiar with the city -- spent hours upon hours driving around and getting to know the neighborhoods.  It's all good.  Just wish the city was more landlord friendly and that there were decent property managers (well and that water heater/furnace theft wasn't such an issue!). 

  • Rental Property Investor · New York, NY · Member since 2016 · 33 posts · 4 votes
    6y

    @Kyle N. do you by chance have Kathy Fetteke's email from Real Wealth Network? I would like to get in touch with her on a syndication project that I currently invested in. Thank you!

  • Investor · Member since 2018 · 46 posts · 33 votes
    6y

    We've purchased 20+ properties through RWN over the last couple of years in Cincinnati, Detroit, Houston, and Jacksonville/Ocala. Our experiences are different in each RWN market.  The quality of workmanship varies quite a bit as well.  I have learned over the years that I will never buy a property without seeing it.  Yes, it may cost me some travel expenses but you can't trust pictures, even Google Streetview can be deceiving.   There have been markets we've researched and wanted to get into and simply gone onto the Dave Ramsay website where there's a list of realtors and other resources. We've been very pleased with the contacts from there.  They've provided great boots on the ground education on the area and sourced really good properties for us. We have properties purchased outside RWN in Kansas and Huntsville, Alabama.  

    While we haven't purchased in the RWN Dallas market, I know they use a different model than most other RWN affiliates.  Your RWN contact is actually a real estate agent. After you close on the property it's handed off to a completely different company for property management.  Most of the affiliates have a salesperson who is your first contact, shows you their portfolio (available homes) and when you close there's a handoff to the property management team in house.  

    I always feel that the first decision when entering a market is to find a property manager and THEN look for properties.  Some of the RWN affiliates will property manage a property not purchased through them but there are some won't.  I highly recommend the Houston and Jacksonville/Ocala RWN property managers.

  • Rental Property Investor · Reading, PA · Member since 2019 · 76 posts · 43 votes
    6y

    @Lisa T. nice what exactly were your experience in Jacksonville fl because i was looking into a new construction turnkey in Jacksonville wasn’t to sure about heading out there but will now to see the market myself 

  • Lender · Santa Rosa, CA · Member since 2017 · 283 posts · 255 votes
    6y

    @lisa t. Are you still acquiring in Huntsville? I'm very active in that market as a lender as well as selling rent ready homes.

  • Specialist · Plano, TX · Member since 2020 · 2k+ posts · 861 votes
    6y

    What a great turnkey story. Thanks for sharing your experience with us. 

  • Rental Property Investor · Honolulu, HAWAII (HI) · Member since 2011 · 4k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    6y

    Turnkey rentals are not 100% passive and not 100% guaranteed to work no matter how well they are put together. One big part of the success of this is the human element of getting a reliable tenant. I have had 4 evictions in my turnkey life span 2 of those resulted in repairs 10-20k... and the way I see it that is just part of the roulette reel of chance... no ones fault. I know what people are saying that you should have screened and not bought in a bad area but we did screen and it was in a B- class area.

  • Investor · Member since 2018 · 46 posts · 33 votes
    6y

    Ricardo L Knight, w/r/t your question on our experience in Jacksonville FL. 

    In my opinion, RWN’s affiliate in Jacksonville, FL is the best run in their network. This has really come to light during the COVID-19 challenges. They have communicated weekly updates on the market in general (videos), proactively are generating weekly status reports to keep owners updated on their individual properties and have been very responsive to questions. Knowing their workload has significantly increased, they still have been responding to my questions same day. And not just an acknowledgement that they received my email, actual research and answers, same day. High marks for SunCoast! (I have pretty high expectations as a ‘recovering’ IT project manager.)

  • Investor · Member since 2018 · 46 posts · 33 votes
    6y

    @Richardo L. Knight

    JACKSONVILLE/OCALA. All our FL properties so far have been new construction. Great experience with RWN's JAX salesperson Brian Scrone. Sole proprietor of Holistic REI. He's affiliated with SunCoast Property Management. A different company for new construction/builder. If you buy from Brian/builder you must use SunCoast PM. SunCoast has a huge portfolio and I can't recommend them more highly. SunCoast will manage properties you buy outside the RWN but if you buy from Brian/Holistic you must have SunCoast manage. As I said, SunCoast is probably our best prop manager across seven so I have no problem with the restriction. Having said all that, they all work seamlessly together and I have never been pushed off because something 'wasn't their responsibility. Ocala has been the real surprise -- never had heard of it before I went down for my first site visit with Brian and toured the area. They are also expanding out to Palm Coast and recently into Port Charlotte on the West Coast. SunCoast has a local PM in each of their markets so they're not trying to do maintenance/leasing out of JAX, although I believe they provide all the backend web/accounting support for the local contacts out of JAX. You might want to talk to them directly to get the full scoop on how all that works.

    TAMPA.  If you're more interested in the Tampa area, I have had contact and toured available properties with Colin Murphy, the RWN affiliate in Tampa. Most of their properties are single-family rehabs.  I was very impressed with the quality of the work and products used in the rehabs.  I'm confident we will eventually buy from Colin when the right property comes along.

    ORLANDO. There's also an Orlando RWN affiliate.  The properties they showed us there were really nice.  The workmanship and quality of products above normal.  Lots of nice touches/well thought out.  We just haven't been sold on the Orlando market $$$s in general. I believe the affiliate owner's son runs the property management company but it's been a while so again, if interested you'll want to reach out to them.

    Hope that helps!  Lisa

  • Real Estate Investor · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2014 · 237 posts · 67 votes
    6y

    Does anyone listen to the Real Wealth podcast? It is hosted by Kathy Fettke, and it is directly associated with Real Wealth Network. Their latest podcast had a conspiracy theorist on as a guest spewing hate, fear, and discord. The COVID-19 vaccine is going to have tracking devices? Really?! You would think that anyone asking for business would think twice about keeping personal political beliefs off their marketing material. After that, I am not sure if I believe my money will be safe in their hands.

  • Member since 2020 · 52 posts · 9 votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Tamar Hermes:

    @David S. The $2000.00 is RWN commission. In a new construction the broker doesn’t have a way to cut them into the deal so that is how it is paid. It has been over two months and my home is still not rented. I actually visited the area and it seems like there is growth happening there, but the quality of the few applicants I have gotten so far, have had low credit scores and had several large debts to previous management companies. I think ultimately the investment will be ok and it will rent. Bottom line, I think if you are very busy and don’t want to deal with finding your own people, it is an option. Since I am a seasoned investor I will likely not go this route again.

    Did your property get rented out.

  • Tamar HermesPro Member
    Real Estate Coach · Austin, TX · Member since 2019 · 84 posts · 28 votes
    6y

    @Lisa T. How long have you owned your properties? Most of RWN projects are 12-18 month hold in Jacksonville, so I would love more details on the purchase and numbers you have earned.

  • Real Estate Broker · Jacksonville, FL · Member since 2014 · 78 posts · 54 votes
    6y

    I would heed a bit of caution when looking at the "turn-key" new construction here in Jacksonville.  I'm speaking solely on the new builds specifically built for investors, not the new construction that's built for owner occupants in planned developments/communities. It's easy to slap a cheap build together and throw a tenant in place on a two year lease before selling it to an OOS investor. I'd suggest researching deeper into the areas these homes are built and the quality of the builds themselves. 

    If you look closely you'll notice the builds never actually hit the open market on the MLS... that is until after they have been sold and are only put on as an additional 'comparable' to be used down the line. Think about it for a second, if you were in the construction business building quality homes, would you market it to millions of people or to an exclusive group to get the highest sales price? What would your reasoning be if you chose to sell only to that specific group? As others mentioned these homes are typically sold OVER MARKET value, which in reality, is the only logical reason you would sell to said group. Point blank, you're over paying for a home that's built as cheaply as possible with the lowest quality material. 7% on a new build may seem great but many of these homes are located in areas that should really be yielding 9%+

    To me as others mentioned, your best bet is finding a reputable management company and brokerage to work with locally. 

  • Investor · Member since 2018 · 46 posts · 33 votes
    6y

    @Tamar Hermes 

    " How long have you owned your properties? Most of RWN projects are 12-18 month hold in Jacksonville, so I would love more details on the purchase and numbers you have earned."

    Tamar, I'm not clear on your question w/r/t "12-18 month hold".  Maybe you're referring to some of the RWN syndications?  We haven't participated in any of those, we're strictly SF/Duplex, long term buy-hold investors, regardless if we purchase through RWN or independent of them.  While we always want positive cash flow, IMO JAX is an appreciating market so we accept the fact that with new construction initial ROIs won't be double-digits. Our portfolio is balanced geographically as well as cash flow vs. appreciation, although we always aim for B or above neighborhoods.  Of course, we'd love to have both immediate cash flow and appreciation when possible!  We purchased our JAX properties in 2018 and 2019.  Our ROIs are between 7-9%, higher in the Ocala market.  We paid cash so that impacts ROIs as you know. Hope I answered your question.

  • Investor · Member since 2018 · 46 posts · 33 votes
    6y

    @Ryan Robbins.  All good points but I did notice you're a local RE broker so maybe a little bias which is perfectly understandable.  We use turn-key/buying clubs as well as buy directly through RE agents -- it depends on the market.  We have some markets especially in Alabama and Kansas with exceptional RE agents we work with and couldn't be more pleased. They know what we look for in a rental and bring them to our attention, it's great.

    As far as the turnkey/network buying:

    PROS for BUILDER:  (1) Source of qualified buyers, often 1031 exchange buyers  (2) Builder knows what RE investors and renters want, builds to that standard -- floorplans, amenities -- no change orders to deal with  (3) Investors don't have the contingency to sale current home (4) Save on marketing time and costs, no open houses, flat referral fee to network, no agent/broker fees (5) I would think investors are easier to work with, less drama (that's speculation, lol)

    PROS for BUYER:  (1) Builder already vetted, although you're foolish not to do your own legwork  (2) Buyer's network has some clout, the builder doesn't want to mess up that relationship so more responsive (3) Usually other investors you can network within that market to vet the area, builder, the management company (4) Ease of transaction

    In JAX/Ocala we've found  RWN affiliate quality is outstanding, good workmanship, desirable floorplans, quality granite, stainless.  We purchased 7 properties in 2018-2019 thru RWN and the neighborhoods are great, A/B+ class.  ***Before closing, we always get an ARMS-LENGTH appraisal (not a bank appraisal) to be sure we're not overpaying and get an ARMS-LENGTH extensive home inspection.  We don't close until we're satisfied with both. You can negotiate lower price/repairs if you have that documentation and we have successfully. *** 

    In summary, I think "how" to buy depends on the market.  Primary consideration IMO is a good market with diverse employment and a good management company.  It's nice to follow different networks because they are great educational resources on the buying process, market analysis and one on one networking with other investors.

  • Real Estate Broker · Jacksonville, FL · Member since 2014 · 78 posts · 54 votes
    6y

    @Lisa T. having some bias within any business is only human nature. Although I'd love to say I'm the best broker or have the best connections I know that isn't the case. There are often times I refer out other brokers or agents that specialize in an area we don't or management companies that may be a better fit, that's not just good business ethics it's also doing right by people.

    As far as what I spoke on in my previous post, it came from personal experience with zero biases. These were not business dealings I had with companies directly but clients that came to me or were referred to me to help sell homes they purchased years ago through similar programs. Many have been lucky to break even. In the past 5 months I've sold close to 25 homes for various investors in the Jacksonville market, all purchased here through the same main connection yet few that know of each other. I've dealt first hand in getting all 25 homes through inspections and repairs so trust me when I say I don't need more of those headaches. 

    The same sellers did have good things to say about investment properties purchased through the same networks but in other markets around the US so it could be centralized to the local connection and not the group itself. 

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