Is house hacking even feasible anymore in this area?

I’m testing something and need brutally honest feedback from investors & brokers.Every deal starts the same way: zoning PDFs, city portals, traffic counts, demographic tabs, Google Maps… and hours of manual work before you even know if a site is worth 10 more minutes.I’m building a tool that turns one address into a structured feasibility snapshot (zoning, allowed uses, infrastructure, market context, risk flags).

I've been getting quotes in the thousands of dollars and it's just not feasible right now.

I love Maine for most of the year.I'm taking a trip to Savannah next week for a vibe check and to see if it's a place I would want to spend several months a year.My thought is to buy and furnish a modest but cute 2 bedroom home or condo, live there Jan - April-ish and rent it out for the remainder of the year.Does this seem like a feasible idea for the area?

Due Diligence & Feasibility (1–2 months)  Start here before you control the land.  

Your depreciation schedule will begin as soon as you place it in service as a rental, however it will be based on the original purchase price.It never hurts to get a free feasibility analysis, DM me if interested, but how much of that additional depreciation you can actually use is what you will really need to look at.

50-100k.Based on research on youtube flippers i have watched it seems feasible,i hope i am not too idealistic here?

Construction cost per sqft in South West Florida varies quite a bit depending on model, size, and utilities available.One thing many people overlook — the larger the house, the lower the price per sqft due to fixed costs being spread over more living area.From what we’re seeing across current spec builds in Southwest Florida:• Large single-family homes: as low as ~$97 / sqft (city water & sewer)• Smaller single-family homes: up to ~$128 / sqft (well and septic)• Duplexes: starting around $113 / sqft (city water & sewer)Utilities play a big role — well/septic, fill, flood zones and elevation can move numbers quickly.We focus mostly on standardized investor product, which helps keep pricing predictable and build times tight.If anyone is underwriting specs or duplex deals in SWFL, happy to share real budgets or feasibility numbers based on current projects.

Is it feasible?

Great topic — ground-up projects can produce strong margins, but execution risk is where many investors get caught off guard.From the builder/developer side, the biggest challenges we consistently see are:1️⃣ Site Work UnknownsFill, compaction, drainage, and soil conditions can shift budgets quickly — especially in markets where lot conditions vary significantly.2️⃣ Utilities & Impact FeesWater/sewer access, well/septic requirements, and local impact fees are often underestimated during underwriting.3️⃣ Environmental FactorsProtected species, wetlands, and flood elevation requirements can affect both timelines and build costs.4️⃣ Permit TimelinesApproval periods — particularly when civil or environmental reviews are involved — can extend holding costs beyond initial projections.5️⃣ Builder Execution CapacityProject success often comes down to the operator’s systems, trade relationships, and cycle times — not just the numbers on paper.Because of these hurdles, we’re seeing more investors lean toward ready-to-build projects — where feasibility, plans, and permitting are already in progress or completed — as a way to reduce entitlement risk and shorten timelines.Ground-up can be extremely rewarding, but the upfront diligence and execution planning are what ultimately determine outcomes.Always happy to compare notes with other investors and builders working through similar projects.