Awesome to hear you have a path, some drive and some realistic expectations. 

Is there a single industry/center in the area that drives jobs?

I could be wrong, but I believe that if I just stick to what I can do and continue putting in my effort to connect with others with offers to help them (for free), help those even newer than I am to this website, be open to opportunities that come my way without expectations of their size, then I will eventually  succeed.I think that the one determining factor in me that makes me sure I will succeed in the end is my drive to keep at this until I have achieved success, and I plan to never give up as long as I am alive.

I'll be driving over to Ocala so I can come to you. 

Originally posted by @Brian Garrett:That could be said about most areas of Florida, and most desireable areas of the Country to live in... even more so in the areas I already invest in.Job growth looks like .5% over the year. 

I wouldn't say I'm unhappy, I'm just thinking about future deals and maybe just being over cautious as I don't want to invest in a bad deal and have it slow my growth when it comes to building a future portfolio. 

Put an old hard drive magnet on the end of a 1x2 and swing it through the yard, or get one of those fancy magnetic rollers from the hardware store. 

Go to home depot (or favorite big box store) at 6-7am and look for the guys that are not driving the $70,000 truck but the beat up one and build a relationship with them on one property.

@Brian BurkeWhen you are buying in areas with good school districts - you are competing with families who are looking to acquire a personal residence.Therefore - you are competing with other investors and those who want a family residence.This competition drives up the cost making it less likely to cash-flow.The good thing is that you may experience significant appreciation.Have you considered looking at areas that are not in the best school districts?

However, you need to consider that over time taxes and insurance do go up, so if the margins are very thin in its present state with limited expected rental growth it might not be a viable deal.