All Forum Posts by: Taz Zettergren

@Anthony Michael Hamza

Really appreciate the detailed response! It sounds like you've got a solid foundation and a smart game plan, especially with the house hacking strategy. Using the VA loan to acquire a multifamily is a fantastic move, it allows you to build equity while keeping your housing costs low. The biggest challenge, as you mentioned, is finding a property in South Florida that fits both your living standards and investment criteria. The high demand and pricing make it tough, but if you're patient and find the right deal, it could be a great way to get your foot in the door with multifamily.

That said, I’d also encourage you to keep an open mind about out of state investing down the road. I totally get why you want to stay in South Florida right now, it’s where your network and resources are, and there’s a lot of value in that. But as you scale, diversifying into different markets could give you more flexibility and higher returns, especially in areas where the numbers work better for cash flow. A lot of investors start in their backyard and eventually expand once they hit barriers like affordability and competition.

You mentioned that Florida’s housing supply is increasing and that we could see some price corrections. That’s definitely something to monitor. If a great opportunity comes up that fits your goals, waiting for a potential drop could mean missing out altogether.

Your plan is already well thought out, and it’s just about putting the right pieces in place. If you ever decide to explore other markets or want a second set of eyes on a deal, I’d be happy to help! Looking forward to hearing how things progress for you.

Best of luck! 

@Anthony Michael Hamza

Congrats on making the transition from homeowner to investor! It sounds like you've built a strong foundation with your first rental—locking in a 2.25% interest rate and pulling in $4,500 in rent is a great position to be in. Plus, investing in hurricane-proofing and key upgrades should help long-term durability and reduce major CapEx surprises down the road.

Since you're aiming for a BRRRR-style approach moving forward, are you looking to find value-add multifamily deals in Maryland, or are you considering other markets? Given the rate environment and pricing in many metro areas, a lot of investors are shifting their strategy slightly to make numbers work—curious to hear your approach!

Looking forward to following your journey!

@Shaylynn O'Leary 

You’ve got a great strategy, and reinvesting your flip proceeds into a more affordable market makes a lot of sense. Based on your goals, I’d recommend looking into Memphis, Little Rock, and Oklahoma, as well as Houston, DFW, and San Antonio.

Memphis, Little Rock, and Oklahoma offer affordable entry points, strong rental demand, and slow, steady appreciation. The lower cost of entry allows for self-sustaining rentals while providing long-term stability. These markets don’t experience extreme price swings, making them ideal for a buy-and-hold strategy with reliable cash flow and minimal volatility.

On the other hand, Houston, DFW, and San Antonio are experiencing rapid growth due to continued job and population migration. With major companies expanding in Texas, demand for housing remains high, driving faster appreciation. While property taxes are higher, the long-term upside is strong for investors looking to build equity while maintaining a solid rental base.

If your focus is slow and steady wealth-building, Memphis, Little Rock, and Oklahoma provide great value and predictability. If you’re looking for a higher-growth market with strong long-term appreciation potential, Texas might be the better fit. Have you considered any of these markets yet?

@Christina Henderson welcome to the forums! You're one step ahead of most of those starting off, and that's by identifying what you're wanting to start with. A duplex is a great way to start because that renter will help with your monthly out of pocket costs and it's a convenient way to get into real estate investing. I did something similar but with a single family home. It is a frightening experience but if you have the right team in place you'll be confident in the property you chose to close with and it will go smoothly. A great agent will help walk you through the process from start to finish and the home inspector is there to protect you in regards to the condition of the home. There are thousands of people on here who will give their opinions about different parts of the process, don't be afraid to ask for help! Best of luck through the process, let us know how it goes

@Christin Dorfling welcome to the forums! If this is your first real estate purchase I would stay away from auctions, there's too much risk involved especially with where price points are in your market. I agree with where Nicholas is going, first, if it's feasible I'd recommend house hacking some type of multi family or even a single family that's local to you. 

If that's not an option then it depends on what kind of investor you want to be. Do you want to be an active investor, building those systems and teams while traveling to do so or would you prefer something more passive? Essentially it comes down to how much time and effort you're willing to spend building the model. If you're willing to travel and hour and a half and be hands on then you'll most likely accrue more equity in your deal when you have a successful renovation but you're trading your time. If you don't have the time and effort to spend there are passive ways to invest through turnkey providers who do all the work for you. Of course there's a premium you pay but the convenience can be unmatched when you have the right partner. 

@Meet Shukla welcome to the forums! What type of strategy are you going after? Turnkey deals or more do it yourself type BRRRs? If you are doing it yourself with the current interest rate environment, like Bruce said, it'll be a functionality of how much you're leaving in the deal. Inside your 20, 820 and 635 loop you'll likely have to put 40% or so in the deal in order to cash flow positively. As you go farther out in the suburbs to places like Sherman, Weatherford, Cleburne or Terrell you might could get away with putting less into the deal. 

If you are focusing more on turnkey's then I'd suggest partnering with one of the investment companies so you can buy a property that's been completely renovated and that has a resident already in place. If you choose the right company it'll drastically reduce your risk of maintenace coming up in the first 5 years and also help your yield. Some of the best ones are offering rates as low as 5.75% at no cost to you, it just requires a 30% down payment. This will make it much easier to invest anywhere in the metro 

@Antoine C. If you are looking for nice and secure areas I'd recommend looking in the suburbs east of downtown and maybe north or south of the 240 loop. There are several solid locations inside the loop but it can be a little more street by street though, I'd definitely recommend talking to a local realtor if this was an area you were looking to explore in. North MS is a great option as well! 

@Rajendran Subramaniam looking at it from a 7-10 year lens I'd say the Texas market would provide the strongest return and that'll mainly be through appreciation. There are still a ton of jobs and people continuing to move into that market. 

@Rajendran Subramaniam welcome back! I have several clients who prefer the middle/southern part of the country so places like Memphis, Little Rock, Oklahoma or Texas. The laws are landlord friendly and each of these markets are very affordable

@Dayana García welcome to the forums! The southern/middle part of the country has several markets that are advantageous. Memphis, Little Rock, Texas or Oklahoma all have been great plays. I have a few clients who like Ohio as well