All Forum Posts by: Doug Merriott

You could be approaching the conversation wrong and may appear to be a dreamer or tire kicker. You also have to remember that a lot of what is on Zillow is old and make have sold.

I post here on BP in the Marketplace and on Meetup.com.

I second the vote for Keller Williams. The start up fees were nominal with a rather small monthly office/technology fee. You could make training your full time job for your first few months, but then again when would you sell??? The technology tools are top-notch. The CRM is decent but a pain in the butt sometimes. You have access to do all of your contracts and document signing online, for free as a part of your technology fee.

The culture of the company can be jokingly referred to as cultish. There is a lot of slogans and such, but it is designed for personal improvement. "To give you a life worth living" etc... There is a focus on mentorship and Agent Leadership Council.

Give the "Millionaire Real Estate Agent" by Gary Keller a quick read. If you like it then go talk to your local branch.

@Lawrence Pareene Welcome to Bigger Pockets.

I agree with @Paul Timmins there are a ton of resources here on Bigger Pockets, make use of them! Including a special discount on Tenant Screening service. http://www.biggerpockets.com/perks This is a REALLY good service and includes the criminal background check. If your prospective tenant is open and honest with you and the report verifies what they said then you may have a good tenant on your hands. If not then you may want to keep looking.

I host a Bigger Pockets Meetup once a month at the Countryside Library, we tend to focus quite a bit on Buy and Hold and Landlording discussions.

Wealthbuilders has a monthly landlording meeting on the second Tuesday of the month I believe. That is in Largo near IRB.

"Landlording on Autpo-Pilot" is a highly recommended book. I would encourage you to check it out.

Best of luck to you and feel free to contact me if you would like to sit down for a cup of coffee with someone in your area.

Thanks for the insight on the proximity of USF. I thought that would be the shining light for properties surrounding the school.

I am not well versed in all of the bad parts of Tampa. When I have questions about certain neighborhoods I phone a friend who is a long time Tampa native (he grew up not too far from Annie). I do not need to make that call to recommend you keep looking a little while longer.

@Bill S. that is the best thing that we can do as landlords. We offer clean, well-maintained, safe homes to people while they build their future. In the process they pay down our mortgage and secure our future. It is a win-win.

@Robert Curls I would rent to them in a second... if everything else checked out. Like @Cory Adams pointed out, many people made the decision to short sale based on the notion that your primary residence is an asset or investment and if it tanks you should dump it like a stock... @Kyle J. also brings up a valid point that their difficulty in getting approval makes it more difficult for them to rent other places.

In the end you have to look at the numbers. I hope you are using the background that BP negotiated a discount for us https://biggerpockets.mysmartmove.com/ . If they otherwise pay their bills then likely you have a good person on your hands.

Hi @Samir Abrahani Welcome to Bigger Pockets. You have taken the right first step in educating yourself. Some of us (meaning me) were not that smart! We have a lot of great REIA in Tampa Bay. Check out Meetup.com to see. Do the same thing you are doing here, keep your eyes and ears open, turn your BS Meter way up and enjoy the ride, and be wary of strangers asking you for money in exchange for their "foolproof systems".

@Patrick L. I understand getting out with little kids. Our babysitters think we are super boring, we typically only hire them for classes, Open Houses or the BP Meetup.

About that letter; you going to list with me or what???!!!