New in Florida

[Account Closed]

Hi All,

Have been reading posts for a while, and getting a feel for the type of knowledge and advice, the encouragement one might benefit from and contribute to. I am a long-time, buy and hold investor with 3 rental properties and a primary, all in Florida. The last 24 months have seen me under siege from unexpected repair costs, adjustable rate resets, rising condo and HOA fees, and special assessments on 3 of 4 properties, in some cases to fund reserve accounts that were ignored during the financial downturn. The hits just keep coming.

I want to get some of the excitement back.  Start picking up properties in a different fashion.  And make what I own work for me, instead of the other way around.

I am a lender, state licensed, and do mostly residential with some occasional commercial.  Also in the process of getting my real estate license and enjoying this.

Cheers!

[Michael Smith]

@Account Closed welcome to BP! I'm also a residential mortgage lender in Florida.

I personally don't purchase condos for the reasons you listed above... you have much less control over your investment, and control is one of the reasons that real estate is such a great investment compared to stocks, bonds, etc.