House Hack in Tampa Bay

[Andy Keffer]

I am at the "finally over the fear" stage alas. Thanks, to all the people I have read and watched to help me to this point. BP has been a blessing as well. I have a few (what look to be good deals to my beginners eye's) put together and I am looking to either house hack or move into and self remodel my first investment property. By self-remodel, I mean, I am not a designer/engineer/builder/etc... by trade. Rather. I have a little bit of know how, willingness to learn, and the ethics to achieve. I work in Clearwater, FL. Ideally work would be within an hour commute to and from. Any and all advise is garnered, welcomed and appreciated.

[Colin G Murphy]

Hey @Andy Keffer! 

In terms of immediate next steps, here are a few tips

- Get prequalified for a loan
- Develop/steal/borrow a template for analysing deals
- Like @Edgar Rodriguez said, analyse a lot of deals, get used to crunching numbers every day
- Don´t let any earnest money go hard without getting a full inspection from a licensed professional 
- Avoid "heavy lifting" on your first deal or two. Purchase block, post 1960 construction, non flood zone. 
- Be mentally prepared to own and live in that house longer than your initial estimate

Remember that real estate is a journey, and you have to go through its different phases. The only way to progress is by taking action, gaining experience, learning from your mistakes and moving forward continuously. In many ways, getting past the first 1 or 2 deals is the hardest part. Once you have done that, you´ve generally have earned the skills and connections to keep moving through the different levels with much less stress.