Brand new and looking around Birmingham

[AJ Rios]

I'm AJ from Florida and I am brand new.  I have been looking around Birmingham and I've narrowed it down to Shelby and Jefferson Counties but I don't have any idea of what areas to stay clear of so any advice is welcomed.  I am interested in Multi-family with some opportunity for value add projects but not necessarily any full guts.  The main things I am looking for at the moment are suggestions for lenders in the area that work with long distance investors, Facebook groups where local wholesalers hangout and also to just meet generally cool individuals that invest in the area that aren't opposed to chatting with some random new guy.  Glad to be moving forward and appreciate your time!

[Alex Talcott]

I have been active in Birmingham (AL) since 2019 -- Birmingham proper and Center Point to the northeast.

I have found it more door-to-door than submarket to submarket or even block to block. Google Maps/Satellite won't give you a very good or up-to-date picture if looking at properties around a target property. You may well gain some perspective, but not enough for peace of mind if you're just getting started. However, think twice before hopping on a plane or driving and spending a night even at a budget hotel; you cut into your margins real fast if you're operating on small door-count/value scale, and you could easily find yourself underperforming real estate mutual funds.