First Investment Property Purchase Question

[Mike Colucci]

Hello everyone; I live in the Ft. Lauderdale area of South Florida. I'm looking to purchase my first income property, but as many of you know, things are expensive here in South Florida. I own a 2 bed 2 bath condo that I payed off, and I'm thinking of using a Home Equity Loan to purchase my first income property. Because it's my first property, I believe I should be looking for a turnkey operation due to the fact it would be the least riskiest situation for me. I would like my first income property to be a 4 unit multifamily property, but a quick look on Zillow reveals those properties are going for anywhere from $900,000 to $1.2 million, not really sure how feasible it will be to obtain one of these properties with a Home Equity Loan from my condo. I'm thinking I may need to step down to a duplex instead. Can anyone offer any advice on my plan?

Also can anyone tell me if there are any real estate investor meet ups to network with local agents, investors, contractors, etc?