Starting new and from scratch

[Ken M.]

If I was starting from scratch, I'd look at a concentric circle around my house for up to a one hour drive distance. 

If I was dedicated to being successful in real estate and couldn't find a suitable property within a one hour drive, I'd move to where I could. The one exception to that statement is, I'd utilize creative finance to make things happen where I want to live, that way I'm not dependent on banks. 

Reality is where you find it. The goal is to make life easier, not fight the crowds to survive. 

[Bo Smith]

Ken's advice about the concentric circle is solid. That geographic constraint is real, especially early on. You can't underestimate how much local market knowledge matters -- dealing with contractors, understanding neighborhood trends, building relationships with agents and lenders who know the nuances.

One thing I'd add: when you're starting out without deep local connections, creative finance actually becomes a disadvantage until you understand your market better. It's tempting to jump into subject-tos or owner financing deals, but those require even more local expertise to vet properly. I've seen beginners get burned chasing creative deals in unfamiliar markets. Master the basics in your backyard first -- traditional flips, rentals, maybe a BRRRR -- then branch out into creative strategies once you actually know what you're doing.

The move is real though. I've known plenty of successful investors who relocated to markets where deals made sense rather than forcing it where they lived. If your one-hour radius isn't producing deal flow, it's worth reconsidering.

What markets are you looking at right now, and have you connected with any local REIA groups in those areas?