All Forum Posts by: Drew C Grossman

Just pm’d you

Quote from @Chris Levarek:

Ocala seems to be doing well. 1 20 drive but as a LTR, could be a good option :

I just posted the top markets for 2023, so this is why Ocala popped up. https://www.biggerpockets.com/...

We have a str in Kissimmee, FL. Oversupplied at this point.

Thanks for sharing this article @Chris Levarek, I own and manage a handful of new construction SFR long terms rentals in Ocala and this market has been my focus for expansion. Working on Duplex new construction projects there currently.

@Thomas Lin - what are your investment goals? On top of Ocala, I would look into sections of Jacksonville, Deltona, Debary Lake Nona and Palm Coast.  

Quote from @Zac Gronda:

Quote from @Dustin Street:

Since being able to meet that rule of thumb is hard in your area, what do you see investors typically setting their goals at?

 the goal is what the market will bear in... In Tennessee it's the wild west due to the fact that our markets have surged outside the parameters of the major city's , for years markets have been soft in the rural areas and now are heating up,  can't speak for other markets but that's how we look 

This follows suit with most of Florida….increasingly more difficult to find these 1% deals as capital has rushed into a lot of the tertiary markets. In the main areas such as Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, Miami…you will not come across many 1% deals worth investing in at these price levels. Have to acquire smart and direct to seller. Most people are chasing appreciation…to risky

Hey @Weston Flowers - you being young already gives you an advantage to network and connect with people while you are figuring it out! I love reading books and listening to podcasts…but they will only get you so far!

Talking to people that are actually doing what you set out to accomplish will be a lot more impactful and give you a more clarity on the direction you want to take in the world of real estate. At this stage I think the majority of your time and energy should be spent here vs the books/podcasts until you gain some traction!


I would get really good at understanding a market, prices, rents, cost of debt ect and what returns look like? You can even take it a step farther and analyze different strategies with each property with renting it long term, short term, flipping …refinancing out ect to compare!

As far as some actionable steps, start on Zillow and familiarize yourself with price points. Analyze the principal/ interest at certain price points…i.e what is the cost of debt of $300k at 7%.? $1,995.91



Learn how taxes are assessed and speak to insurance agents in the area you are targeting to nail these down!

Rentometer will be a great starting place to give you a general high, middle and low estimates for rent prices. How does this compare with what a realtor is telling you? What does the zestimate rent say?


Analyze every deal like you were putting money into it….and you will learn a heck of a lot!

Best of luck!

I need to get on your travel schedule…! Sounds fun….lol

Hi @Jackson Gockman  - I was in your shoes a few years ago and I commend you for what you are doing! I bought my first few properties right after I graduated from UCF and invest primarily in Central Florida. My brother is currently at the University of Florida and I’ve been planting seeds in his brain in preparation for him to purchase his first property when he graduates after this semester!

Feel free to reach out with any questions as I’m happy to share my experiences that may give you some insight. 

Best of luck and go Knights!

@Konstantin Podyachev - 

You hit the nail on the head…paying for an inspector every deal you analyze could become quite expensive!  Like already mentioned, your focus needs to be on “buying right” especially with your first deal to give you enough margin of safety between the unknowns. Being that this is new ..you have to accept that you won’t have 100% certainty on every little thing before you move forward ….however you can mitigate so many of these risks by doing a good job on the acquisition. You will learn as you get more deals under your belt.!

You should only do an inspection if you are seriously considering buying it and have done all the work up front necessary to get to this point of needing one (or if you are okay with spending a few hundred dollars from an educational standpoint)….do your home work..!

Unfortunately there is no “right” answer, and from my personal experience, I spent countless hours calling people on the phon ….inspectors, engineers, contractors, county offices ect.. to get a lay of the lands before wasting anyone’s time. 

The biggest hurdle especially on a rehab is obviously your contractor…if you did your job at identifying a property of value you will now have an inspection to to use as a basis when speaking to contractors! I would recommend calling 5-7 contractors and ask them specific questions regarding what you found in the inspection report. Don’t just ask them general questions or you will get general response. Some contractors will be more willing to share information than others and this is where your networking and people skills are so vital! A lot of this you can do before having someone come out physically (which will be difficult if you don’t have a relationship). It’s not sexy, but if you call and take detailed notes of all of your conversations …you will develop a baseline knowledge to expand on which will only help you in estimations!

Best of luck!

Quote from @Bevaughn G Grey:

Looking for BRRRR mentor in Florida that i can learn from.

I wouldn’t be here today without the help of many people who invested their knowledge time and energy into me and I am forever grateful of this!

I may not be able to answer every single one of your questions but I can definitely give you personal insight to my experience or point you in the right direction if I don’t have an answer. 

Florida is a super diverse market and I am always striving to learn more….I take extreme pride in learning the inter workings of the many sub markets that make up the state.

I have completed a handful of real estate projects ….and recently a commercial brrrr 

Reach out if you have any questions and best of luck!

@Soren Loftus - It takes a good amount of self reflection to realize the choices you made may have not been the best for you…I appreciate the honestly and I am sure you can to! Being aware of the situation is definitely a great starting point! Like many above have stated, keep the train moving and get some traction….it’s inspiring what a little momentum can do…

Hi @Katlynn Teague - 

I agree with @William Harvey that “buying right” should be your priority…by doing so it will give you a margin saftey against all your other risk which you can certainly do things to mitigate …but never completely get rid of.

This is your safety net!

My first commercial deal was a BRRRR which involved everything in a flip…except selling it! It was a serious renovation and we went over budget by 20%…6 months later than anticipated and also had hurdles with contractor fraud. With that being said, we still completed the project increasing its value by 400k and now hold a turnkey cash flowing asset.

There are so many things I learned from that deal but here are the top two that may by relevant to your situation..!

#1 - don’t try to do everything yourself…so much of the manual labor I justified doing myself at the beginning and although I saved thousands of dollars…I lost tons of time and more important my energy, focus and peace of mind. Of course do what you can…but don’t just look at the dollar figure when trying to justify leveraging someone else! I lost months of productive work on my other projects because my all of my mental capacity was sucked by this deal! …looking back I would of hired people sooner in the process and could of gained 6 months back in rental income which would of offset the cost to hire out because the project finished sooner….

#2 - Do your research on your contractor….this person will make or break you! You don’t know what you don’t know…..BUT it’s so important you TRUST them! It’s so common sense and this was not my first experience dealing with contractors ….someone who was looking out for it…and I still got burned! You live and you learn

Best of luck on your project…keep the community updated as you progress!