My broker's property management company is local to the area and very familiar and comfortable with this product type if you want hands off management.

We actually just did a free webinar (local real estate developers) focused on the fact that developers don't need licenses or certifications BUT they do need strategic partners with those and their expertise to complete projects.

I would love to connect with local wholesalers who source in Birmingham and other cities in Alabama. 

Not sure if its the same in Tampa but there are some great Facebook groups here in my local area.

Nationwide we're in several quarter now where we see zero growth while residential RE appreciation keps agoing up.Residential real estate in theory and practice is always better than investing at asset that's valued using cap rate because that's derivative product of (a) supply-demand local apartment (b) the asset is valued only following rent income.About to say.......... in US it's way way way more "profitable" to invest at residential that appreciates , rather than a CRE where valuation is much more volatile and dynamics.I would lose money now if I buy CRE few years ago, luckily I made the right decision by investing residential where I can control and the appreciation curves is exactly like what I've forecasted.

For plans that will pay off later, get into house hacking, save money for a first payment, meet people in local real estate groups and find a mentor, and put money into things that earn without much work like stock index funds or ETFs.

This week my community is having a meeting at a local coffee shop to get to know the neighbors.

Maybe you could contact a local STR management company and work for them for free to get some idea of what is to manage a STR.

Keep steady and stick with it, using plans like looking at local buzz and keeping an eye on road projects, to help grow home values.Thanks!

They require a lot more hands on care and this could put extra stress on you if you are not local.