All Forum Posts by: Jorge Vazquez

Hi Tyren,
Within my 20 years of experience managing properties and rehabbing homes, I've found that building your contractor team is just as important as finding the deal itself. The best way to start is by asking other investors in your local market who they use—hit up REI meetups, BiggerPockets threads like this, or even your local Facebook investor groups (they can be hit or miss, but sometimes gold). If you're working with a property manager or planning to, ask them for vendor referrals—those guys are usually loyal to the PM and do solid work to keep the relationship. Also, when you find someone, don't throw a whole house at them—start with a small test job to see how they work. Treat every interaction like you're building your long-term team, not just hiring for one project. Be clear, build relationships, and reward reliability. It takes a bit to find "your crew," but once you do, everything else gets way easier.

Hope that helps—here if you’ve got more questions!
– Jorge

Inbox me your email. 

 Usually 80%.....

Yes—BRRRRs are still working great for us. In fact, most of our investors are still using this strategy. While flipping might look more profitable in the short term, BRRRRs are winning long-term because rents are creeping back up toward that sweet 1% rule. We're still picking up properties with built-in equity and adding forced equity through rehab.

Let me break it down with an example: You could buy a house for $200K, put $100K into it, and it’s worth $400K after rehab. If you flip it, you pay closing costs, agent fees, etc.—you might walk away with $50K.

But with a BRRRR? Let's say you buy for $200K, rehab it for $50K (so you're in at $250K), and it appraises for $350K. When you do a cash-out refi, you can tap into 85% of that $100K equity gain—maybe you walk away with $35K, but here's the kicker: you still own the property, you're getting rental income, enjoying passive cash flow, and benefiting from the tax perks. That beats the flip in my book.

We’re also always watching neighborhoods for signs of growth. When we see rehabs, new builds, old buildings getting torn down—that's our cue. We’re not chasing areas that are already gentrified. We're going after spots that are just starting to shift. That’s where the real long-term equity is built. You get in now, ride the first wave of value from forced equity, then 5–7 years later, boom—another equity lift as the neighborhood hits that middle-class sweet spot.

So yes, BRRRRs are alive, well, and honestly, better than ever. 

Hahahahaha!

Hi Terry, welcome to the game! I'm based in Florida too—been at it for over 20 years and still love it. If you ever need guidance or just want to bounce ideas around, I’m happy to help however I can. Wishing you lots of wins on your journey!

– Jorge

Within my 20 years of experience, I’ve seen both routes. Wholesalers usually use a basic assignable contract, while flippers or agents often go with the Florida FAR BAR. If you want a copy of the assignable contract and assignment I've created and used for the past 20 years, just let me know—happy to share.

– Jorge

Hi Tina, I’ve been in the game for over 20 years and currently manage 250+ properties in the Tampa/Clearwater area with my team at Graystone Property Management. We're investors ourselves, so we manage properties the way we’d want ours handled. Happy to connect if you’d like to chat and see if it’s a fit.

– Jorge

Hi Alec,

After 20 years in the business, managing hundreds of properties and helping plenty of new investors right here in Tampa, I’d say the best move is to find someone local who doesn’t just teach theory—but has actually done deals in this market. Tampa’s got its own rhythm, and having someone in your corner who knows the area makes all the difference. Feel free to reach out if you want to chat through your first deal—I’m happy to share some insights.

Jorge