2 br, 1 ba condo close to me OR 3 br 2 ba sfr an hour or more away ?

[Andy H.]

First off, I want to thank everyone in this forum. The wealth of knowledge is incredible, and the willingness for people to share and help is ridiculous.

I want to start investing in real estate, this will be my first deal. I have done a lot of reading, but there is much much more to learn. I live in Orange County California, and the real estate prices around here is not cheap. I'm planning to buy using cash using either tax deed or trustee sales.

If I buy near where I live and familiar with, I can only afford a 2 bedrooms 1 baths condo. If I'm willing to drive further out, more than 1 hr, I can find 3 bedrooms 2 baths SFR. I hope to buy and flip the property and if I can't flip them, I will rent them.

Knowing my current situation, which route should I take ? Condo or SFR ? Thanks in advance for your advices.

[Jon Holdman]

No idea, since you're not given any numbers for either. I'd certainly invest in a profitable rental an hour away rather than a loser nearby. Generally, I don't like condo's because the HOA is a never ending partner that can cause you trouble by has no interest in your success. But SFRs can have HOAs, too.