Volusia County Ranks #3 Most Affordable Beach Town

Volusia County Ranks #3 Most Affordable Beach Town

Property Manager · Daytona Beach, FL · Member since 2015 · 78 posts · 86 votes

Hey BP Fam!

It's me, Krista Goodrich, vacation rental guru and real estate warrior here in Daytona Beach. I am so happy to say that Volusia County (think Daytona Beach) ranked #3 in this year's most affordable beach towns per a recent (June 2020) Realtor.com article. 

You may be wondering why this makes me happy, right? I mean, don't people want to live in upscale places like Park City, Scottsdale, Miami or San Diego? Sure, those places are great, but as an investor don't you wish you bought there BEFORE they were great? Imagine that ROI!

When I started investing in Daytona Beach seven years ago, people thought I was crazy and they couldn't see the vision. Homes here are certainly dated, the nightlife pretty lackluster (except my new brewery on Main Street is great lol) and other Florida cities are more "trendy." Those things are all true. And all reasons why I continue to invest in Daytona Beach and surrounding areas. I mean, where else can you get a house minutes from the beach in the 300's, 200s and yes, even, $100k range?

Now 18 houses later with a portfolio of vacation rentals, long-term rentals and one commercial property, I continue to buy Volusia. We still have a long way to go here in Daytona and the ride so far has been amazing...and while we don't know what the market in general will do, I see a lot of reasons why Daytona is primed for continued growth:

1. We just, after 17 looooonnnngggg years, got a new pro-active and pro-growth City Manager. He is gung-ho and ready to rock...this is great for our town.

2. With Orlando expanding and every beach town south of us extremely more expensive than here, it seems to me we have one way to grow.

3. We have a labor shortage (who doesn't, right) but our town runs on tourism and there are not a lot of high-paying jobs so our rental market is, and always has been since I've been here, on fire.

4. Have you checked out our weather? Beautifully perfect for 10 months out of the year, August can be warm and Jan a little cold but it sure beats the heck out of shoveling snow or never being cool. I think we have the greatest weather in the world.

5. Elon Musk-our coast is simply the best place on the planet for the growing space industry.

That all being said, I'd love to hear from others on great places to invest in Vacation Rentals in areas where you can adventure travel-so ski/mountain towns, fun cities and even the desert...or anything with awesome hiking as I don't get to do that a lot in Florida (but we do get to surf and fish a lot so it evens out).  

Until then, happy investing!

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Real Estate Agent · East Central Florida · Member since 2021 · 121 posts · 94 votes
4y

Kudos to all those investing in the Ormond Beach / Daytona Beach areas. It sure is a great place for real estate. While it is difficult to find "investor" type properties here lately, I am sure it is difficult in most places too. I have recently acquired my 24th project property since 2017. I have done most of these as upscale fix-n-flips, but I did keep one that is two separate single family homes on one parcel, so it is a cash machine - like a duplex. I was able to get in and out of eight properties last year with two so far this year. Looking back, I don't think all of this activity would have been possible in most other markets. When I started my trip down the investment road, I was "all-in" with $34k on my first project, with a partner. We made a profit of about $46k net between us. There are not too many places you can get started like that and consistently repeat it. Ormond Beach and Daytona will likely continue to grow and show consistent ROI for those who take advantage of it going forward.

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  • New to Real Estate · Orange County. CA · Member since 2020 · 26 posts · 6 votes
    5y

    Great post Krista! I'm long on Daytona beach as well. Daytona is truly one of the only affordable beach towns left in the state. Look at any county south of Volusia and the prices of homes are 2x+ comparable to what you would find here in Daytona. Especially with all the people moving to Florida (which I do not think will slow down anytime soon) South Florida is literally going to run out of room for these people. Residents will start to flock north towards Daytona so getting a portfolio together here now while prices are cheap is probably a great idea. Even though Daytona still has a lot of room for improvements if you look at a 10, 20, or 30 year time frame, Daytona is significantly undervalued IMO.  

  • Property Manager · Daytona Beach, FL · Member since 2015 · 78 posts · 86 votes
    5y

    Completely agree Kade!   I'm still picking up condos and homes under $200k that cash flow great and I think have incredible cap app upside...not banking on that part because I invest for cash flow but it's a reality that I'm certainly looking forward to.  

  • Investor · Ormond Beach, FL · Member since 2021 · 10 posts · 2 votes
    5y

    Hi Krista, love your video on your page by the way. I Recently moved to the Ormond Beach area. I am looking to get into both LTR and STR. As far as the STR go in the Daytona area, which would you say are the most popular with the highest occupancy rates? Do Small or large condos do best, or SFH, or Multifamily homes? Im trying to learn what i can about the STR market in Daytona, so any help would be great. Thank you! :-)

  • David NilesBusiness Member
    Property Manager · DeLand FL · Member since 2012 · 860 posts · 243 votes
    5y

    Hey Krista great info and glad to hear it.  Moved here just over 2 years ago from the cold north and havent looked back.  Getting our real estate brokerage and PM up and going so lets keep this thing rolling along.  Loving the sun and fun of FL!

  • Richland Center, WI · Member since 2017 · 49 posts · 16 votes
    5y

    I'm feeling so frustrated up here in small town WI with everyone feeling entitled to what they want. Moving to pivot into STR and sell what won't fit that model. I'll probably buy a four season ski-in ski-out property a few hours north of here and the prospect of a beach house or five has always been tempting. I had been looking at TX figuring that FL was out of my price range. This is nice, thanks.

  • Member since 2018 · 8 posts · 0 votes
    5y

    I have been looking at Daytona after spending a weekend there. Do any of you have a recommendation for a realtor who works with out of state investors?

  • Asheville, NC · Member since 2017 · 1 post · 1 vote
    4y

    Try Don Whitfield - https://www.realtor.com/reales... I've heard nothing by great things. 

  • Property Manager · Denver, CO · Member since 2019 · 30 posts · 13 votes
    4y

    We purchased our first investment property in Ormond Beach in January. Our agent was a fantastic resource and helped build the team needed for us to buy long distance and manage from afar.

    3bd/3bth townhome for $271k, that is now tenant occupied at $2400/mo. I hope to do the process again and purchase in the next 4-6 months.

  • Ormond Beach, FL · Member since 2020 · 46 posts · 16 votes
    4y
    Quote from @Nicole Skorka:

    We purchased our first investment property in Ormond Beach in January. Our agent was a fantastic resource and helped build the team needed for us to buy long distance and manage from afar.

    3bd/3bth townhome for $271k, that is now tenant occupied at $2400/mo. I hope to do the process again and purchase in the next 4-6 months.

    Congratulations, I live in Ormond Beach, we love it here  if you need any hep or advice feel free to reach out. 

  • Real Estate Agent · East Central Florida · Member since 2021 · 121 posts · 94 votes
    4y

    Kudos to all those investing in the Ormond Beach / Daytona Beach areas. It sure is a great place for real estate. While it is difficult to find "investor" type properties here lately, I am sure it is difficult in most places too. I have recently acquired my 24th project property since 2017. I have done most of these as upscale fix-n-flips, but I did keep one that is two separate single family homes on one parcel, so it is a cash machine - like a duplex. I was able to get in and out of eight properties last year with two so far this year. Looking back, I don't think all of this activity would have been possible in most other markets. When I started my trip down the investment road, I was "all-in" with $34k on my first project, with a partner. We made a profit of about $46k net between us. There are not too many places you can get started like that and consistently repeat it. Ormond Beach and Daytona will likely continue to grow and show consistent ROI for those who take advantage of it going forward.

  • Investor · Kissimmee, FL · Member since 2020 · 121 posts · 35 votes
    4y

    Hi. Do you have a short term rental property manager you would recommend in Ormond Beach?

  • Property Manager · Denver, CO · Member since 2019 · 30 posts · 13 votes
    4y
    Quote from @Joel Lazar:

    Hi. Do you have a short term rental property manager you would recommend in Ormond Beach?


    There are STR restrictions in Daytona Beach and some other areas in the county. There are STRs but not all are legal. Your agent should know, but do your own DD. There is a high demand for longer term rentals for both snowbirds and locals.

  • Investor · Daytona Beach, FL · Member since 2021 · 10 posts · 9 votes
    4y
    Quote from @Joel Lazar:

    Hi. Do you have a short term rental property manager you would recommend in Ormond Beach?


    Check in with Salty Dog property management. They themselves are REI and licensed realtors. They know the area very well and their percentage is extremely competitive IMO.

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