All Forum Posts by: Austin Fox

Hello Biggerpockets,

As I continue my research into making my first purchase, I have never been a landlord before. I have lived in an apartment so I have an idea what it is like but not from the other side. What are your thoughts on hiring a property manager for my first purchase? Or should I look into self-managing? Any tips/ideas/thoughts on the self-managed vs property manager perspective. I currently work a full-time job 830am-5:00 pm and I am looking for real estate within the 45-mile range. No kids, no wife and still living at home for now, so time would not be a concern(after work, weekends,etc.)

Raul,

Building on what everyone has stated, a real simple breakdown is zoning is what the plot of land may be used for. Some zones are residential meaning housing/apartments can be built. Other zones are commercial, strictly for shops only. Here in Florida, we have agricultural zones, meaning that piece of land can only be used for farming and cant be used for building a building. The zones dictate what can and cant be built. If you really wanted to build a building in a zone that is not zoned for it, you could push for a variance(an exception) in the code with proof of research why it should be a variance but that's a long, painful process if you don't know the city well. Check your local city website for the zoning map. It should have a legend that describes what can and cant the piece of land can be used for.

Beautiful work! Congrats! Came out very good and for a good price.

Heather,

Building on what Tyler said, you can go for a simple replacement. I know when you hear replacing you think of a large lump sum of $. "Chinese" cabinets are making a presence down here in Florida. They're basically cheap cabinets that look amazing. To be honest they're not even that bad, they're made a lot quicker. If you have a local IKEA, they offer a cheap alternative. Another alternative that I have seen is people wrapping them, similar to like a car wrap. 

Hello!

So after some time of just watching from the side and learning from here, I have finally decided to join and get more involved. I am an architect in South Florida looking to get involved in the real estate game to build wealth alongside my career. After learning already so much from BP and continuing to learn, I'd like to give back by offering my architectural background to the community. Being located in Florida, my building knowledge can benefit the community considering Florida and California are the strictest states when it comes to building. If anyone has any building related questions feel free to reach out! -Austin

Anthony, Glad to see I'm not the only one out there that's in the same situation as me. I'm right there with you, living with the rents saving up for the first deal. As for your market inquiry, try looking for properties for sale and ones that have sold. Comparing the sold and unsold might help. My mother is also a real estate agent so having an agents perspective helps too, you could always ask them as they do it for a living. Feel free to stay in touch! We're both on very similar paths, we could learn a thing or two from one another.