Real Estate Investor · Oakland, CA · Member since 2014 · 36 posts · 9 votes
Hi BPers,
Is anyone investing in southeast Georgia, around the Brunswick area? How is the rental market out there? Or is this area better for fix and flips? Any information would be most helpful!
I live in Waycross, and work out of Brunswick. I've been considering this area myself. IMHO the crime rates are sort of offputting. I suppose it depends on your risk tolerance and what your ideal customer profile would look like. Historic district is nice but it is surrounded by prostitution and drug activity. The hospital is fairly well-regarded in my opinion. There is a small college there, but i wouldn't think it draws much other than local population. I could be wrong on that. There are much larger Universities in the region. St. Simons Island is close by, the Ga. Port Authority is close by (primarily import/export cars - 2nd largest in nation behind Baltimore), Jekyll Island is close by. Is your strategy SFR or Multi-family?
I used to have some cases down there when I practiced law in Atlanta 15 years ago. I am interested in what you find out. It’s a nice area. Close to St. Simon’s Island and in between Savannah and Amelia Island. A lot of Port shipping there.
I have some family down there and she brought this area to my attention. She said that the population is increasing and rents are going up but she is not an investor. It does seem like a nice area from what I have researched so far. Wanted to get some input from someone with boots on the ground out there. Hopefully more people will chime in.
I live in Waycross, and work out of Brunswick. I've been considering this area myself. IMHO the crime rates are sort of offputting. I suppose it depends on your risk tolerance and what your ideal customer profile would look like. Historic district is nice but it is surrounded by prostitution and drug activity. The hospital is fairly well-regarded in my opinion. There is a small college there, but i wouldn't think it draws much other than local population. I could be wrong on that. There are much larger Universities in the region. St. Simons Island is close by, the Ga. Port Authority is close by (primarily import/export cars - 2nd largest in nation behind Baltimore), Jekyll Island is close by. Is your strategy SFR or Multi-family?
@Nina Sylvains, Brunswick (from my experience and knowledge) isn't much of a rental town. I haven't looked into short-term rentals but I imagine most of your rental market in that area is for vacation rentals due to it's proximity to the islands. I think your best bet would be fix and flips, there are some lower income areas out there and if the population is increasing you may be able to get in on the ground floor. Gulfstream has a plant there, it is close to Jekyll and St. Simons islands, its easy to get to Jacksonville and Savannah. Hinesville is more of a rental market because of the military base.
@Joe Burden Thanks for your input! For this area I was thinking more SFR but haven't completely decided yet. Still doing research. Short term rentals might be a better option with the islands so close by.
@Katie Deskins Thanks for the info! I was thinking fix/flips and/or short term rentals might be better for this area. I might also need to look in the Hinesville area. My husband is a veteran and really wants rentals around a military base.
@Nina Sylvains - I just stumbled across this post and thought I'd reach out to see if you ended up investing here? I own a sizable portfolio in Brunswick and a few in Saint Marys GA. I actually liquidated my Atlanta properties to invest predominantly in Brunswick because the cash flow is so good. Rental rates are quite high and the cost to purchase homes is low, considering the rental rates. If you ever want to connect and are still considering the area, I would love to chat through the options with you!
@Nina Sylvains - I just stumbled across this post and thought I'd reach out to see if you ended up investing here? I own a sizable portfolio in Brunswick and a few in Saint Marys GA. I actually liquidated my Atlanta properties to invest predominantly in Brunswick because the cash flow is so good. Rental rates are quite high and the cost to purchase homes is low, considering the rental rates. If you ever want to connect and are still considering the area, I would love to chat through the options with you!
I took a quick peek and it looks like some pretty great rental areas. Is it because it's a vacation town (near Jekyll)? Seems the rental inventory is pretty low...meaning they go pretty quick?
@Joe Cassandra - I love rentals in this area. There are a couple of reasons rent is high here. The first is due to it being a tourist area. A lot of rentals on the islands are short term, lowering the rental inventory for the locals. The second is that we have a Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) here. Lots of officers come here for training assignments and need rentals. They are typically on per diem so they can afford to pay a lot for a rental. This also lowers the inventory for our locals. My properties are almost never vacant for more than a few days in between turning it around and most of my tenants stay put long term. I have several that have been with me for years.
@Aundrea Newbern, I'm considering buying a condo in the south of St. Simons island (3-bed/2-bath condo off-market on Demere Street) and would appreciate some tips on managing the rentals from distance (currently live in Connecticut although used to live in Valdosta and Waycross). Also, I'd appreciate tips on pros/cons of long-term vs. short term (FLETC, AirBnB, VRBO). Lastly, would be great to get referrals to a good property manager and local handyman since I may buy more properties on Saint Simons if the current property rents well.
@Azizbek Rasulov - I would love to help. If you want to message me your contact info, I can connect with you via email and we can schedule some time to connect when it’s convenient for you.
I am a longtime lurker, first time poster but wanted see if there were any updates on this thread? I have 1 property in Brunswick GA (long term rental) and 1 on Jekyll Island (STR) and looking to expand more in Brunswick, possibly St. Marys or up towards Savannah.
Did you invest in Brunswick? Are you all still active in the area?
I wasn't active in the thread above, but my wife and I own one STR on St Simons, and have been looking at long term rentals in Brunswick recently. Would love to know more about your experience in long term in Brunswick!
I am a longtime lurker, first time poster but wanted see if there were any updates on this thread? I have 1 property in Brunswick GA (long term rental) and 1 on Jekyll Island (STR) and looking to expand more in Brunswick, possibly St. Marys or up towards Savannah.
Did you invest in Brunswick? Are you all still active in the area?
I have been happy with my LTR in brunswick - it rented within 1 day and i have great tenants but sort of at the height of the frenzy.
I am interested in doing more - but it seems a lot of new construction, build to rent type communities are coming online and with the prices - was interested to get anyone else's thoughts.
I am relatively new to the area. i have a couple of very successful STR in the blue ridge mountains but have moved my interest to the coast! and diversifying to ltr or maybe medium term.
Medium term definitely interesting given FLETC. I haven't done it myself but I have friends on the island that say they've done very well renting to FLETC folks for 3-9 months at a time.
I'm personally still active in the area and a big fan of this market. I have 36 units (both long and short term) and manage another 12 short term rentals for clients of mine.