Navigating the 1st steps of REI

[Chris Murray]

Hello! I am excited to be part of this group. I have been looking at REI for sometime and decided to finally start researching. What I am trying to determine is the best course of action to begin with. I am located in Venice, Florida and I'm in an area where vacation rentals are a popular choice. Any recommendations on if I should look at property for vacation rental or if it makes more sense to look at a property for long-term rental? The real estate market in my area is now stagnant with a surplus of inventory. I have also been listening to podcasts that discuss seller financing. So that leads to my next question... Should I locate a mortgage broker or start with a realtor? Ideally I would like to keep my personal finances separate from my REI.