Newbie from Dunedin (Tampa), FL

[Joe Bankard]

Hi BP community!

My name is Joe and I'm anxious to get started with my real estate investing journey. My wife, two year old daughter, another daughter on the way in September and I moved to the Tampa Bay area around four years ago (originally from Philadelphia). I have been absorbing as much about REI as I can in the last couple of months, most recently burning through Brandon's book "The Book on Rental Property Investing" in a day.

We own a SFH in Dunedin and were considering upgrading to a larger home when we made the decision that we want to remain in our current home so we can start REI. I would love the opportunity to network with anyone in the greater Tampa Bay area and learn the best way to get started.

I would like to start with either SFH or a Duplex, ideally within an hour of where we live as I would like to keep a very close eye on our first investment. I would welcome all of your advice on how to best find/fund our first deal. While we do not have a lot of cash on hand that we can use right now (around $30k), we would qualify for at least a $80k HELOC, and I would also not be opposed to loaning against my 401k as I have maxed that out every year since I entered the work-force after college (10 years ago).

I'm continuing to read these forums and just started listening to the podcasts this morning.  If anyone in the greater Tampa area is available to connect I would welcome the opportunity.

Have a great day!