Hi from Southwest Florida and looking for startup advice

Hi from Southwest Florida and looking for startup advice

Real Estate Investor · Sarasota, FL · Member since 2014 · 4 posts · 5 votes

Hi! I am a new member from Southwest Florida! Born and raised with lots of local knowledge and looking to get into real estate investing!

A little about me... I purchased my first home two years ago through a short sale. The process was atrocious, it took me over 8 months to close, but was well worth it. I bought my first house for around $90,000. The original contract price was $125,000 and my banks appraisal (bofa) came in low and the sellers bank took it. It is a 3 bedroom 2 bath and has a detached mother in-law suite above a 2 car garage with a full bath downstairs and upstairs. I now rent the front and live in the rear. The front rent covers my mortgage and some.

I just refinanced my house (the original mortgage was fha) to get some equity and get out of the fha. If the appraisal comes back with what we are expecting it to, I am looking to use that equity ($40,000) to purchase my first investment home. I am on the fence with flipping or buying a rental property.

Anyone have any pointers or knowledge they are willing to share? Anything helps!

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  • Solo 401k Expert · Anaheim Hills, CA · Member since 2012 · 18k+ posts · 6k+ votes
    12y

    @Russell Strayer

    Welcome to BP community, you came to the right place to learn all about real estate investing! Here are a few recommendations for you:

    Find and connect with other BP members that are in your area http://www.biggerpockets.com/meet

    Set up keyword alerts to be notified of the topics that interest you http://www.biggerpockets.com/alerts

    Read Beginner’s Guide http://www.biggerpockets.com/real-estate-investing and check out BP Podcast.

    If you wish to tag someone in the conversation on the forum, type @ followed by their name and then select that person below. He or she will be notified of being tagged so that the conversation will continue.

    Wishing you the best!

  • J. MartinPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Oakland, CA · Member since 2011 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    12y

    Hello Russell. You came to the right place! I’m a buy/fix and hold investor in the Bay in CA. But you’ll find a variety of all strategies here on the website. A few tips on the website and on meeting some fellow investors:

    Search for local meetups here or google a local REI club to network with other investors. On the site, the "Learn" link across the top navigation bar has lots of great info, and so do the forums. You can tag people by typing @ before you type their name, then clicking their name when it pops up at the bottom of the message box. You can click on the ‘vote' button if you like someone's post or is helpful, and there are ‘awards' to earn on your profile. Good luck on everything!

  • Brandon TurnerPro Member
    Investor · Maui, HI · Member since 2009 · 13k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    12y

    Hey @Russell Strayer Welcome! Definitely start jumping into the community here! Be sure to read through The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Real Estate Investing to help you get started.

    Here's a couple articles you might enjoy:

    The 21 Best Real Estate Investing Books Ever

    How to Rent Your House: The Definitive Step by Step Guide

    Also - be sure to check out House Flipping: The Best of BiggerPockets. There is a ton of flipping resources there.

    Finally -be sure to setup some keyword alerts - especially for "Sarasota" so you can jump into local conversations.

    See you around the forums!

  • Professional · Nokomis, FL · Member since 2013 · 123 posts · 99 votes
    12y

    Welcome to BP, neighbor! You will not find better information that that contained in these forums and podcasts! Read, read, and read some more!

    I am just starting out myself...maybe we can compare notes some day!

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