Gulf Shores / Oragne Beach Investment

[Matthew Miller]

Hello all! I am a total newbie to investment properties, so please bear with me.

I am considering purchasing a house in Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area initially as a vacation home and potentially as a retirement (way down the road) home.

Before I ask my questions, let me give some information:
I do not expect the home to be used by me, or my family, for more than 6 NON-consecutive weeks out of the year. Additionally, there would be limitations on when family could use the house - no, you can't go there for 3 weeks solid every July, you get the idea - to allow more rental availability.

I live 6 hours away, so I would need to use a property management company.

With those two points in mind, for those of you familiar with the area and investing there, will I be able to break even? Will the house pay for itself?

Cash flow would of course be nice, and who knows, maybe I'll venture deeper into real estate investing, but that is not at all my primary concern.

Thanks ahead of time for any and all information!

[Conor Shinnick]

STR being more risky is not necessarily true. My first two properties are STR that we self manage from out of state and they are doing great. Don't worry so much about what kind of property to start with. It's more important to choose an investment that you are interested in and then find a great mentor (Lucas and Avery Carl for us!) to help you along. There will always be a learning curve to overcome, but a mentor shortens that time considerably.

Orange Beach/Gulf Shores is certainly a viable market to start in. Consecutive vs non-consecutive weeks of use isn't the issue. It's more of a total use during peak season concern. Candace is exactly right about use during the summer. Those months are critical to build reserves to carry you through the low season.