I would be attending online college, so class schedules or other things like that will not affect me, but a higher quality online education would cost more than my local university by a few thousand, leaving my total debt to be about $8,000. 

National and local economic factors can definitely impact real estate. 

First time posting here - have been listening to Bigger Pockets for a few years now Just wanted to see if there are any local st pete meet ups ?

I pick up about 7 or 8 game discs from the local resell store for usually $5 or less.    

We are looking to partner with local Realtors to grow our company.

Zoned commercially for a 4-story building, currently a 2-story buildingI'm not so concerned about the pricing here, rather just looking to get local, hands-on knowledge and expert insight into the area.

Attend some REI meetups in your area and join local investor FB groups.

Also a housing shortage for local workers so there are efforts to create more long term rentals.

These are local or private lenders and would hold the loan product.4 I do not want to sell or buy real estate for others.

If you haven't already joined the local real estate investing club I would recommend that as well.