New Member Intro - Seeking Mentorship

[Matthew Montanarella]

Hello Everyone,

I am excited to join this community and dive into the world of real estate investing. A little background about myself... I currently live in the midwest but originally from Florida. My wife and I are finishing up our residency/fellowship training in the next couple of years and will be moving to Tampa for our full-time jobs. We hope to start investing single family/multifamily homes once we are settled down in the area and I am looking for a mentor (possibly someone who is local to that area) to learn all I can from. We hope to look into investing in the Tampa, Sarasota, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch areas which are in proximity to where we will be living and working. 

General Questions:

How is the process of securing a traditional mortgage while having a large amount of student loan debt (dual physician household).

How does one best search for deals in an expensive market such as Tampa/Sarasota.

How can I best prepare myself the next 24 months to be ready to make my first deal? How much capital is a good amount to save etc. 

Hoping to connect with investors, lenders, property managers in that market. I am eager to learn!

Matt

[Jorge Vazquez]

Hey Matthew, great to see your excitement. I’ve been investing in Tampa for over 22 years, done more than 3,500 transactions, and built my portfolio from zero to 40+ properties using this exact strategy I’m about to share. Before you choose your first property, you’ve got to know what your last one looks like—meaning, what’s your end goal? Cash flow? Equity? Scaling? That answer shapes everything. Real estate is a domino effect. You start small with intention. The smaller domino hits a slightly bigger one, and momentum builds. Each deal sets up the next. If you trap your cash or make a move out of order, it slows you down. But if you do it right, one deal turns into three, three into ten, and before you know it, you’re scaling with confidence. There are certain neighborhoods and cities around Tampa that are better suited for specific strategies, so it all depends on your plan. Let’s connect if you want to dive deeper—I’m happy to help however I can.