20 Years Old - Trying to move states.

[Rylan Powell]

Hi! First post- I need a little bit of guidance on what my next step should be. Upon turning 18, I wanted to purchase a home so that I wasn't "throwing my money away." I purchased a home without knowing much about real estate. (I have higher interest rate than normal and the house was turn-key ready- so not too much room for improvement.) 

I currently work as an MECP Installer in a mobile electronics store. However, after learning about real estate and surrounding myself with it 24/7, I have decided that I would like to become a real estate agent. This is great and all, BUT seeing as this is what I would like to do long term, I don't really want to do it where I currently live. I live in northern Alabama, but ideally, I would love to move to Florida to begin this career. I purchased my Florida real estate licensing course and began this.

Where I am having an issue is.. with the move, I would need to show proof of income in order to qualify for a mortgage. When I sell my house I will be profiting about 20k after all the fees. This will help with downpayment as well as some safety net money. Will I need to get an apartment or rental for a little while and continue working in the 12v industry for a while to show proof of income? Or?? There are a ton of variables and I don't want to miss one and end up messing everything up. 

My plan was to purchase a duplex in Florida and get an owner-occupied duplex loan (this way they can take into account future rental income), however, it seems nearly impossible to find a duplex in the areas I am looking. My other plan was to just purchase a cheaper home and live cheaply (around 100k.) I would fix this house up a bit, and eventually refinance and purchase my second property while renting this one out. My credit score is in the mid-700s and aside from housing, I really only pay about $250 out of pocket for car/insurance/gym/etc.

I apologize if I rambled, but I would love to hear some thoughts about what you would do in my situation. -- Long-long-term, I would like to have many rental properties while flipping houses and working as a real estate agent as my career. If anything needs any clarification or you have any questions to provide a more thorough answer, feel free to ask anything. 

Thanks!