St. Pete Beach multi-family live and learn

[Tom Shaw]

My wife and I want ease into the St. Pete Beach multi-family market by living in and rehabbing a two to four-unit property. Our current thoughts are to pay cash or do minimal financing (to bypass flood insurance ASAP) on a two to four-unit fixer upper and live in one or two units while we rehab the others. When it's done and fully rented, we would then buy a single-family home nearby and continue to manage the property. We might also consider doing short-term rentals in one unit, although we've seen a lot of controversy about this topic. If this is something you've had experience with, here or elsewhere, we'd appreciate any ideas, tips or warnings to help us get started. Thanks!