Hello BiggerPockets! Newbie from St. Petersburg Florida

[David Algava]

I am new to the real estate investing world. I lived in NJ most of my life, and am now moving to St. Petersburg Florida to accompany my girlfriend in her new job. I currently work full-time in Strategic Sourcing, where I buy stuff for a living too! I just buy software as opposed to buying real estate.

The home prices in St. Petersburg are exciting! In NJ, you are lucky to find property in a decent area under $250k, and then you will pay $8k a year in property taxes. In St. Pete, I have seen homes under $100k that rent for more than $1000 a month, and pass the napkin analysis.

Having been through a majority of the Bigger Pockets Podcasts, I am feeling empowered to make my purchase this year in the greater St. Petersburg / Tampa area (a New Year's resolution if you will).

I am also a bullish stock market investor. My long term goal (about 10 years out) is to be able to live modestly off of passive income. A light bulb went off in my head recently where I concluded that real estate is probably the best investment to aid me in achieving my goals. There are no stocks that pay dividends in the same (%) range as rent. 

I also love hiking. Florida is not the most mountainous state, but I am going to enjoy exploring the Everglades. 

Looking forward to a profitable 2016!