Hey guys, longtime Biggerpockets member here. My wife and I started out investing in 2018 with a small multifamily here and there in New York. Decided margins were too slim and chose to search out greener pastures. Single family rentals, multifamily, house hacking, there just weren't too many deals to be had. Our goal was cashflow and for that reason neither of our native areas held much opportunity (My wife is from New England a few hours outside Boston). We started out researching states first including Mississippi, West Virginia, Arkansas, Carolina, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Ohio, Alabama, Indiana, Iowa, Florida, Tennessee, Texas and Kansas. After a few weeks of this and analysis paralysis we narrowed our search down to the specific cities of Buffalo, Des Moises, Fort Wayne, Huntsville, Kansas City, Memphis, Nashville, Austin, Miami, Phoenix, Atlanta, Oklahoma City, Omaha, San Antonio, Tampa, Tulsa, St Louis, Jacksonville, Detroit, Cleveland, Cleveland, Toledo, Rochester, Milwaukee, Columbia, Laredo, Indianapolis, Akron, Youngstown, Brownsville, even Philadelphia. Eventually we settled on Birmingham Alabama and took the plunge with the intention to buy, rehab, rent, refinance, repeat. Less brrr more BRRR!!! Brandon Turner, Scott Trench and David Greene you guys can have that one for free if you need another book title. Since then we've purchased four single family houses we intend to hold long term as SFRs. Done two full gut rehabs. Made every mistake in the book and learned a ton. For example one rehab house was broken into 11 times (with a 12th unsuccessful robbery attempt last night). The thieves stole building materials every time. Not sure if I can blame them; plywood costs am I right? Birmingham definitely has some market specific nuances. Built an extensive network of subcontractors, property managers, brokers, wholesalers etc. Started our own construction company to do rehabs and renovations. We hope to break ground on some new construction in the next 60 days with our eyes on condo and multifamily development. Build to rent has become another focus for us. Now people are hiring us to renovate their houses which adds an additional source of income. Oh also we started a second company specifically to do only electrical, and HVAC. Anyways if you are thinking about investing in Birmingham but need boots on the ground and subcontractor recommendations I'd love to connect you. Or if you just want to talk about real estate in general also please feel free to reach out. Best of luck on your real estate journeys!
