All Forum Posts by: Chris Romany

Emiliano,

Congratulations on getting your license. I am primarily an Investor and also a Realtor here in Orlando. In my experience, the main advantage with your license is that you have advanced tools available to you to find properties easier (using the MLS), and you are able to run comps much faster and more accurately. This combined with the time saver of not having to send your on-market offers through a separate realtor and earning a commission of your purchases and sales is a bonus.

If you are interested in picking up some sales as a Realtor as well, join a broker who offers a lot of education. Keller Williams is the one I chose (they are the largest broker in North America), and I can help set you up with them if you like.

Hi @Michelle Elsaid, 

BP is a fantastic resource; would recommend you listen to as many podcasts as you can.

You can also join either GOREIA or CFRI, two of our local Real Estate Investing Associations (I am based in Orlando as well). Both will run you about $160 for a year's worth of education in several meetings held throughout the month, but be advised that they are also heavy into information marketing (different speakers will attempt to sell you their programs) so keep your checkbook/credit card at home for the first several months while you gain your education.

Best of luck to you.

Great job, @David Dey. You are the man! 

David,

Central Florida is a great place to invest. I am a full time Investor and a Realtor as well based here in Orlando, You could not pick a better online resource to educate yourself. A word to the wise:in your first couple of months at your local REIA meetings, make sure you leave your checkbook at home, until you decide what path you wish to take. There will be many people pitching many educational and coaching programs, and you can pick up a lot for free just by attending the different meetings.

To your success! 

Look no further than Orlando, @Bob Roach. 

Orlando has surpassed NYC is the most visited city in the USA, and is #3 in the nation for job creation, which fuels growth, and growth equals appreciation.

If you like, message me separately and I can send you a summary report on Orlando: "You Don't Know The Half of It"

The answer to your question, @Pat L., is that it depends. The expansion should help slow down appreciation a bit, as the inventory is supposed to increase. However, there is not a whole lot of low and middle class housing being built, so if this is the demographic that is moving to Florida, this new housing won't make a dent and prices will continue to increase. The manipulated pace at which foreclosures are being brought onto the market (large phantom inventory) also complicates things too. So long story short, it is a guess as to where prices and rents will go. I think odds are that demand will continue to outpace supply, prices will rise, and then stall in a couple of years as salaries/wages are no where near keeping up with the pace of appreciation and inflation.

Christian,

I admire your desire and commitment to do better. There are so many different avenues in Real estate Investing, there really is no one book that will cover everything. Start off by listening to the many podcasts available here on BP which are free. You can also join either GOREIA or CFRI, two of our local Real Estate Investing Associations (I am based in Orlando as well. Both will run you about $160 for a year's worth of education in several meetings held throughout the month, but be advised that they are also heavy into information marketing (different speakers will attempt to sell you their programs) so keep your checkbook/credit card at home for the first several months while you gain your education.

Trevor,

Unless you are going into a niche market of higher priced properties, flying back and forth is probably not worth it. I am a full time flipper and Real Estate Sales agent here in Orlando, and I stopped getting personally involved in much of the day to day stuff (as much as I like it), as it allows me to do more deals. If you work with a local resource to help you manage the work, you can always use technology (ex. Skype, video etc) to follow up and still fly in whenever you want to.

That being said, if that's what you like to do (do the work yourself), go for it. Life is too short!

Eduardo,

You heard correct. I am a full-time Investor as well as a Real Estate Agent based right here in Orlando, and I can confirm that a significant portion of the visitors that come to Orlando are Brazilian; not only that, investors from Brazil represent the 3rd largest group buying property here in Florida, behind Canada and the UK.

In terms of risk managing your investments remotely, it really depends on what your investment plans are. There are a large number of services that can support you to maintain your properties for you. In this era of the internet and international communication, you can do a lot remotely; that being said, it is always a good idea to have solid reliable representation in the local area where your properties are. 

Derek,

Welcome to BP. You could not have chosen a better forum to expand your knowledge base.