For funding, explore options like FHA loans, personal savings, or creative financing, and focus on New Jersey markets that align with your goals, such as Newark for rentals or commuter towns for house hacking.

My main goals with these initial projects are:1.Gaining valuable insights into the local market.2.Getting hands-on experience with out-of-state investing, particularly when it comes to remodels and managing from afar.3.Testing the entire BRRRR process to see if it’s the right strategy for me long-term.If all goes well, I’d love to scale up and explore multi-family projects.

I’m currently active on BiggerPockets to connect with like-minded investors, exchange ideas, explore potential opportunities, and provide opportunities through my network to collaborate with others.

Meanwhile, explore options with other STR PMs. 

Any underrated markets worth exploring?

Wondering if it worth it to explore providing temporary leasing vs. long-term leasing to begin.

Next Steps: Find lenders, network for private money, explore seller financing, and set up gap funding.

Living in LA first will help you make a more informed decision on where to buy, while exploring out of state investments could be a great way to build your portfolio.

It would be mainly rented to alumni, parents of students and people exploring the area by the University of Florida.  

If not for you and you prefer the traditional route, I would explore potential "up and coming" markets such as Acworth, Cartersville, and Douglasville, where the price-to-rent ratio is a little more favorable, and growth is apparent.