All Forum Posts by: KerryAnn Fuller Rainey

@Sama Pa I can help. I've lived in Clearwater over 30 years, husband is a native (rare find lol). We know the areas well. I'll gladly help. Realtor and investor, brokerage has property management as well. Know STR locations as well. Message or connect for contact info.

I'm a Realtor, love what I do. Live in Clearwater near Clearwater Beach and other local beaches. I'm learning more about STR's and more clients are asking for it. My husband and I would also like to purchase investment properties and are considering STR also, especially something on the beach that we could eventually use ourselves. I found one for a client, I've been looking online at what going rents are, feel like I'm missing some information (It's also been a really long day and I'm not thinking clearly at this point.)

Seeing the rents online now I'm thinking instead of having a new pool put in at our home, we should purchase a condo in the same building... (we inherited two commercial office condo's that we are in the process of selling. Intend to put half away for future investment purchases, and use the other half to purchase a pool and newer used vehicle for him. That being said, he doesn't think we should make any investment purchases now since 1) COVID and 2) elections in Nov. 

https://www.biggerpockets.com/...

@Hai Loc yes Clearwater Beach has been packed. They’re all starting to be shut down, Clearwater Beach will be shut down starting tonight at midnight. It is a popular tourist destination, a lot of people on spring break and here for spring training brought a lot of people in our area, which is typical for the end of Feb through mid April. Most of the locals avoid Clearwater beach during that time, and instead go to the other lesser known beaches. Wednesday I went to another local beach, that’s not as popular, and everyone kept their distance from each other and it was fine.

@Hai Loc i’m a realtor here in Clearwater Florida, and I’m swamped! I keep saying I’d love to be able to stay home for a couple weeks, but I’ve been so busy. And will be busy all weekend. Two listings coming to the market this weekend, two more next month, and more buyers than inventory. 🤷🏻‍♀️ For now, business as usual. People still need places to live, there are some people that need to sell and they don’t have a choice right now to sit out. I do have other sellers that are deciding to sit out right now, and I respect their decision. I guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens as maybe more people are let go from their jobs, but a lot of people are working from home. Most of my buyers are still working, so far it’s not an issue. I guess we will see what happens.

@Marisa Alvarez I’m in Clearwater also, we have a ton of rentals on the market and get continuous calls everyday. I am noticing in a few areas that some (not ours) are sitting longer. Maybe the price point? Send address if you’d like me look at it for you. I’ll help however I can. Message me through here or grab my email or phone number through my profile.

@James Holloman 1) I love your description of the "mini markets" in Clearwater! It's so true. I just moved from one area of Clearwater (near Clearwater High School) to Countryside (also part of Clearwater) and it's like I'm in a different state. :) 2) I've never been to the Black Pearl but have been wanting to go there for years!! You highly recommend??

I'm a local Realtor in Clearwater, I've live here well over 30 years. Love the area. I work predominately in Pinellas County and Pasco County, but do have family and friends in Tampa (Hillsborough County) and may be expanding to that area. (Now that I'm in Countryside it was soooo much easier to get to my recent closing in Trinity!) My fiancé and I are looking to grow our portfolio of investment properties. While I'd prefer to stay in Pinellas County, I can't help but notice the growth and opportunities in Pasco. 

I've also been getting a lot of questions about STR's in the area, especially closer to the beaches, so I have been learning all I can about where it's allowed, not allowed, which condos are ok with it and which are not, etc. I can't help but entertain the idea of possibly acquiring one myself.

Hi @Lianne Ottaviano! I am a 33+ year resident of Clearwater, and a local real estate agent with experience in both residential and investment buy and sells. I also work with property owners to find tenants and assist renters in finding rentals for them (I try to fill the properties that my company manages first, but rentals in the area go so quickly I try to help place them). My brokerage also has a full service property management team, so we offer that as well.  Message me the address and I can give you an idea on what you can expect in rent. If you are not familiar with the specific neighborhoods/areas that can be a challenge because of the quality (good or bad) of each area. Florida (especially Pinellas county) is funny in that you have multibillion dollar homes (and thus high end rentals) on one block, then two blocks over you have a not so great area (thus lower end rentals.) Which can make doing a comp analysis from a different area/state challenging. (Just went through this with a distant hard money lender, he was not sure about my comps, so he flew in one day, I drove him around Clearwater, explained each comp, went over the numbers on each property, grabbed lunch, then drove him back to the airport! After seeing the different areas, he understood what I was trying to explain.) Let me know what I can help you with! Ask me any questions you may have. 

Regardless of HOA and rental restrictions, Clearwater also has a city ordinance against STR less than 30 days. As @Dan Maciejewski mentioned, the city is cracking down hard on STR, for many reasons as he stated. One not mentioned above is to keep the integrity of family neighborhoods in tact. Currently dealing with a STR in my neighborhood, directly across the street from my home, and while I will spare you the details I can tell you it has not been a fun experience. I have more thoughts and opinions on the STR from a personal perspective, but I will leave it at that. :) 

Hi Jacques, are you a full-time investor, or do you have a full-time job and do the investing on the side? (Either way, well done!) One thing to keep in mind is the actual work that is involved in buying and selling real estate. It seems simplistic on the outside, but once in the trenches there is a lot involved and can be very time consuming. It is one thing to look at the numbers to see where you can cut costs, etc., and it is another to consider the time and money invested into getting your license, maintaining it, marketing, showings, negotiating, inspections, and so on, that actually get the properties listed, marketed properly, and sold. Can you do it? Absolutely! Reading your comment above there's no doubt you can make that happen. 

The questions you really need to ask yourself is how does this lines up with your long-term goals, the value of your time, and if you truly want to invest that much time and money into becoming a real estate agent, versus what else you could be doing instead. If you have a full-time job, you might consider the cost of paying an agent part of your costs for doing business (having a professional that can give full-time attention to buying and selling your properties.) Kind of like paying someone to clean your home... can you do it yourself? Sure, but wouldn't it be a better investment of time and money to hire someone that is good and efficient at it instead of investing your time and sweat equity into it, when the professional is probably going to do a better job anyways all while you can spend that time on something else?  If RE investing IS your full-time job, and do have the time to spend buying and selling your own properties, then go for it! You have nothing to lose. You'll find that you absolutely love it, and it will fit perfectly into your business model, or you will absolutely hate it! But you won't know until you try. Good luck! :) 

Really looking forward to this event! See you then. 

Hi Doe, there are a few. You can find them on MeetUp.com, or use the app. I have not personally attended a meeting yet, but I am looking for the same as yourself.