Hi Braxton,I am in Florida and you know its the great destination for tourists , and others as well you can look in this area for real estate investments.

Hi MarioYour question is a little open ended and answering it in a thread like this would be a little much.You're wishing to "arrive at a destination," being the owner of a retail plaza, while admitting a lack of understanding of how to get there, and the experience needed to make it successful on an ongoing basis.

You could look into Bay and Walton counties of Florida that includes Panama City Beach, Destin.

#2 This guy say's he's going to find a great deal on property, and I better get his name and number...We did a few exercises, he went to his next REI meeting and came home with 5 new numbers that he didn't have to ask for...Investors now wanted him, as bad as he wanted them...He had been to 3 other meetings, with the same people and all 3 times he left the meetings not with lead, but with a sinking feeling in his gut that he was destined for failure...Which of course contributed to the problem even more at the next meeting...Here I'll explainThe problem is many rookies MISTAKINGLY believe that by talking a big game (which they usually fail at as well) that they will get investors to work with them...The trouble is 90% of communication happens on a subconscious level....In fact, in many cases the investors who turn you away probably don't even know why they don't want to give you a chance....they just get that "FEELING" from you, and gut feelings are basically a quick snap decision from the subconscious mind....You have probably had a similar experience when you meet someone and something doesn't feel right, or they just seem to be full of B.S....It's because "WHAT YOU SAY" is far less important than "HOW YOU SAY IT".The only way to change the "how you say it" is to change your attitude and beliefs about you and you're business.

Let's keep in touch.I'm in the Panhandle of Florida (Panama City, Destin, Pensacola)Steve

We also love to travel to tropical destinations including Maui.

Both Miami and Fort Lauderdale are popular vacation destinations so I would guess that if you buy right, price right and market right, you will do ok in this bad economy and better when the economy improves.

I listen to the BiggerPockets Podcast as I drive to work and other destinations.

It got my attention because from what I saw it is a way to invest in a highly desirable destination and the hotel essentially can function as your property management to rent and maintain the room.

Here's what I believe:If success were a destination, you'd get there and then ask, "Ok, what now?