Quote from @Account Closed: Hey guys,I have no experience but after looking at all my options I have come to a conclusion that my best move is to buy land and develop multi-family apartment building (15-20 unit) 2 story somewhere between Miami Jupiter.Budget for everything 3MDone with cash + 6% line of creditLooking for long term holdI would love to hear any insight on what areas I should look at, ballpark of build price (hard costs and soft costs) and would love to network with anyone in the area on this.ThanksIf you're looking to develop a 15-20 unit multifamily building with a $3M budget between Miami and Jupiter, there are a few key things to consider:Land Budget: Aim to keep land costs around 10% of your total budget.

you're not missing anything; i have the same worry about gator lending. however, sometimes people are looking for way larger amounts of transactional lending, for bigger deals. in those cases, it's more justified for them to need the $ IMO. but also, more is on the line, so you still have to really do your due diligence. if you're really interested in being a gator, take pace's program. i haven't, but if i was going to seriously get into it, i would. 

Or even purchase something larger such as multi-family or commercial that provides better cash flow. 

Quote from @Elimar Rios Guzman: Hello BiggerPockets Community,My name is Elimar Guzman, and I'm excited to be a part of this thriving network of real estate enthusiasts and professionals! 

Next is to start building a strong network of local contractors, property managers, agents, lenders, and attorneys—they’re key to keeping things moving smoothly.

BP is a great place to learn and connect with fellow investors.If you’re looking to invest in your backyard, it helps to network with as many locals in the industry as you can.

If you're looking to list REO properties, then there are several sources, REORenegades is a great source, and REOMAC conferences and dinners (to network), along with the National REO Brokers Association www.nrba.com.

Start with locations I'm most familiar with - Spend some time on Youtube learning about the different areas, and seeing which ones I'd be comfortable living in- When narrowed down, rent an Airbnb and try to spend a week in each place- From there, start talking to some property managers and networking in the area to find opportunitiesI grew up around the metro Detroit area, so that would be a good starting point for the research, expanding out to nearby spots in the midwest like Ohio.

Quote from @Michael Smythe: @Steve K.Recommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), etc.Also, encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

Find off-market deals, run conservative numbers, stick to one market first, network with local REI groups, and stay patient.