All Forum Posts by: LaShelle S.

Have you checked out this article yet? VERY informative! A ton of info and advice without being overwhelming

Getting Started in Real Estate With Less Than $1,000

Congratulations! Motivating to hear other people getting it done!

Thanks for the input. I'll expand my search into S. Pinellas county as well.

@Kerry Hennessy I work for Amazon so I'll be transferring there when their new site is built. Searches in or near Ruskin never yield results but for Tampa I get pages and pages of different styles, prices and locations. And of course the properties always look fantastic online! Another option is to get in touch w/ an agent, give them my parameters and spend a week down there looking at properties. Then I could also attend a TREIA meeting and start to meet people.

@Joseph Caracappa Thanks for the info.

Hi guys!

I'm wondering how people decided what neighborhood(s) to invest in and how I can figure that out long distance. I'm going to be new to Tampa area but I won't be moving there until September. I've been devouring article after article about multi family units and the more I read, the more I realize that is the area I want to focus on. I'm going to be using my VA Loan and would like to start the pre approval process right about now. I'm going to be working in Ruskin, FL. Should I rent for a few months so I can have time to get to know the neighborhoods and areas? Thoughts, ideas, advice?

Thanks!

@Kevin. Buy a lot and build a quad? I never ever thought of that. I didn't even know that was an option with VA. Would you suggest using a conventional loan first then and "saving" the VA for a quad? You just opened my mind to new possibilities since I don't have to use my full entitlement at once.

@Forrest I want a 4-plex just because more units = more money to me and the VA will allow purchasing up to a 4 unit. A duplex is always an option as well of course. Since I don't know which is more readily available in Tampa I'm keeping my options open and will let the numbers dictate which would be better for me. My first thing would be to get my pre-approval and then head down there.

@Doug thanks for the link. I have to bookmark that page!

Thanks. I did subscribe to one of the REIA newsletters so I can start to get a feel for Tampa and what's going on there. Ideally I'd like to go to a few meetings or trainings before I actually move there. I have to go anyway to look for a place to live which brings me to my next question. I'm getting a nice amount for a relocation bonus and I have my VA entitlement that I have yet to use. My long term strategy is to have portfolio of multifamily rentals so I'm thinking I may as well start now vs. continuing to rent since I'll have more than enough to cover closing costs and still have cash on hand. My goal in wholesaling was to build a cash fund to cover closing costs and have extra income coming in to cover any expenses but if I can do it now than do it now. So that was a statement not a question but I'd still appreciate any thoughts...

I'm a newbie working on starting my wholesale business and now it looks like my job will be transferring me from VA to FL in Sept. Does anybody have any advice on what I can do to hit the ground running once I move or what I can do to start building my business before I move? All I've been doing is reading and I haven't done any deals and I don't want to get stuck in an "analysis paralysis" phase in the meantime. I want to start "doing". Thanks!

Thanks for the welcome everybody!