Macon, GA - Advice.

[Felipe Rivera]

Hello all in the Atlanta market!

My name is Felipe and I am a rookie investor, residing in Southern CA. I am currently on the hunt for my first investment property, and am narrowing down on my first market. 

I have been doing some research on Macon, GA/ Bibb County. From my research, I have come across higher crime rates than I may be comfortable with, along with old BP forums discussing this very issue. 

Is there anybody who is currently having success OR experiencing difficulties in present time in the Macon, GA area?

I would appreciate any advise on this area, as well as any connections! My current goals are to buy and hold, looking for single family properties in either turn-key condition, or semi - turn-key condition. (Once I get my feet wet, I hope to start getting more into rehab properties). 

Once again, thank you for any advice or connections!

[Esther C.]

I currently own 3(1 duplex and 2 SFR) properties in Macon, and I am buying a 4th(duplex). I'll break down into categories.

 Overview: I will say this, it's not the most alluring area, but the mayor is trying hard to change that narrative. He is Bringing in an Amphitheater for concerts, building a green "city", and bringing major corps such as Coca Cola to have hubs in the area to attract jobs and younger people. We all know if people are employed crime goes down. He also is demolishing some of the blighted areas to make room for new homes. The prospectus he put out reminds me very much of East Point, GA 10 years ago before properties were selling for 300k. I didn't bite then when properties were going for 10k and years later I bought a few in the 50s, now I can barely afford that area. 

Crime: We've ran into a few issues of people breaking in while renovating but once occupied they leave it alone. Other than that people are really nice here. All of the break-ins were crimes of opportunity i.e., a contractor leaving a window open. I've honestly had more aggressive crime issues in ATL. 

Building a team: It took me a while to gain traction because most contractors work outside of Macon and the ones that are there are constantly booked. Once you have a team treat them well and they will treat you like gold. 

Market: Macon is a huge rental area, most of the population rents vs owning. I am buying properties for pennies on the dollar, my recent purchase was a duplex for 26k, we renovated it for 75k, its worth 130k. We are renting both sides for $900 a piece. 

Issues: My biggest issue with Macon is the fact it has no major airport. The nearest airport is ATL which is almost 2 hrs. away with traffic. It also has nothing major going on. Cities have festivals and celebrations going on certain times of the year which attract people and Macon does not have that. Again, I think that will change with the mayor's prospectus.

I am having success there overall and I am glad I didn't listen to people that told me to stay away. That city essentially catapulted my investment journey. If you ever need any advice or a property manager, I have some recommendations for you. You can PM me.