newbie flipper

[Johnathan Osborne]

Flippers,

I am newbie looking to invest for the future and have been a member on Bigger Pockets for some time.I have read and am still reading regarding flipping and the flipping process.My short term goal is to flip with the hopes of funding for future buy and hold for long term.I am ordering J. Scott’s books and have read many articles/postings on Bigger Forums.

Now for what I see as a dilemma: So is it possible for a newbie to flip houses two hours away from home?I live in a very rural area north of Asheville, NC which does not have much going on as far as real estate movement so I’m looking at other areas.Asheville is hot right now and has set record sales/prices for 2015.This has put the little inventory that is available out of my price range.Asheville would be my long term goal.According to Zillow (which I’m not sure how accurate it is) market health index for Asheville is 9.4/10.Other areas I’m considering are Greenville, SC (market health index 7.8/10 ) and Johnson City, TN (index of 5.9/10), both with more inventory in my price range.Asheville is 35 minutes from my house, Greenville 2 hours, and Johnson City 1 hour.

I have made contact with a realtor in the Greenville area and that area really looks like it has potential.

I am a Nurse and my wife is a Physical Therapist so we have W2 income and would not need to live off flipping.I also have 3 days off a week to manage rehabs, plus downtime at work for research/studying markets.