And The Winner Is......Jacksonville?

[Michael San Roman]

Hey Everyone!

As an aspiring out-of-state real estate investor located on Long Island, NY, I have been doing some in-depth market research to identify several healthy investor-friendly markets to begin exploring. My sniff test has included: 1. Recent strong/stable population growth and 2. Recent strong/diverse employment growth. My findings have led me to: Jacksonville, Tampa, and Austin.

In my Jacksonville research I am seeing:

- A trend that the market is moving away from the more expensive coastal areas and moving towards i-95 in Baker & Nassau county, as it is more affordable and provides easier access to downtown Jacksonville

- There has been significant development in the counties directly south of Jacksonville including St. John's and NE Clay County

I am hoping that any of you Jacksonville investors, homeowners, renters, and/or speculators like me can help shed some further light into my research. Initial signs point to these areas as being healthy opportunities as long as the right deals are found but it would be extremely helpful to hear more about the cash-flow opportunity (as population growth may be driving up prices), if this area was hot a few years ago and may be cooling down and any other market-specific aspects that I may be missing/not including in my research.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Michael