Getting Started in St. Petersburg, FL

[Javed Mohammed]

Hello BP Community!  

My name is Javed. I'm currently in the process of finishing up my graduate education in healthcare, and I'm looking to get started in real estate investing in St. Petersburg, FL and the surrounding Tampa Bay area. I've been wanting to get involved in real estate for a while now and never thought I'd have the time while working. However, the more I've been reading about real estate investing, the more I believe it can be done. Some of my goals include eventual financial freedom in order to spend more time with family, in addition to promoting diversity and inclusion in real estate investing.

I know that many successful individuals started from somewhere, even from nothing. I was thinking about getting my real estate associate license first to get my feet wet and learn the inner workings of the real estate process. Would this be a good place to start?

Also, does anyone have any experience in the Tampa, St. Pete, and Clearwater, FL areas and would care to share how they approached this market?

Looking forward to the discussion, thanks!