Looking for First Purchase Florida/Tampa/Orlando

[David Coatney]

I read and see that Tampa/Orlando/Jacksonville are the best Florida Markets for rentals at this time.  This will be our first purchase for a unit to be rented full time.  We planned to stay away from Jacksonville initially due to the crime rate and focus on Tamp and Orlando. Any advice for these areas and also Florida in General.

[Matt MacDonald]

I've lived in Jacksonville for over 25 years and I have been a Landlord and Tenant for over 20 years here. I have also worked in real estate and property management for over 15 years in Jacksonville. Jacksonville like all places has it's good parts and high crime rate areas. Pros for Jacksonville you can still get a good house for under $250,000.00, where I'm at in 32225 there's a Navy Base and Coast Guard Base about 15 minutes away, a lot of banks, hospitals, CSX and other companies for employment. You can still get a type C property/investment between $100,000.00 and $150,000.00 here. My biggest con is the heat. It gets so hot here from June to September.