Lakeland/Winter Haven/Orlando - New Investor

[Jennifer Hamric]

Good Evening!

I'm Jen. My boyfriend is Damien. I'm in accounting. He's a pilot.

I have these really big dreams to not be an "employee” the rest of my life. I’m definitely not lazy by any means; I just think that if I’m going to be working as hard as I am, I should get a better return on my time.

I tell everyone about my aspirations, and most laugh at me (good naturedly). But recently I’ve come across someone who agreed with me and said that if I am willing to do the work, he’d back me financially.

So I’ve been running scenarios on properties and driving neighborhoods near me attempting to learn the area. But I’m in Myrtle Beach. This area is DEAD ¾ of the year. The vacancy rate is something like 33%. Is it possible to find deals in a tourist based economy? Will it be more possible after I’ve gotten my RE license (in the works)?

I’ve heard in some of the podcasts that investors are working in areas other than where they live, where their return will be better. How would I go about getting started researching different markets? Would you recommend that for a newbie?

I’m tentatively looking into the Lakeland / Winter Haven / Orlando general area because that is generally where I’m from so I’m familiar with the area and I know that the market there is much better than the market where I am.

But who do I contact first to grow a team in a specific market or neighborhood that I might be interested in? A realtor? A PM company? A contractor?

Thanks so much! I look forward to the feedback!

Jen