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Sometimes, embarking on the journey to becoming a real estate investor isn’t just a mental one – it can be a physical one too! It takes focus and vision to realize your real estate investing goals and that can mean stepping out of your comfort zone. That’s what our two guests this episode are doing and it’s paying off.

Lucas LeBlanc and Jenna Diermann began on their investment path when they started looking at ways to ensure financial freedom. With a goal to build a passive income portfolio consisting of both short and long term rental properties, Jenna and Lucas found that their home state of California didn’t afford them the opportunity to fully realize their real estate goals, so they landed on the Florida market, relocating to Tampa.

Jenna and Lucas have started DreamStone Homes with hopes to build a portfolio of vacation and multifamily rentals throughout the Tampa Bay area.

What makes these two so interesting is their drive and creativity. Since moving to Tampa earlier this year, the two have already started work on a single family renovation and are currently under contract for a mulltifamily property. By finding a unique niche, they have been able to focus their investment goals to actionable results. Jenna is a well-known DIY designer and decorator who’s work has been featured on several home and living platforms. By applying her special brand to their properties, they are able to find investments that work for them.

Listen to their investment journey!

Contact Lucas and Jenna:

• Jenna Sue Design

The post Ep. 146 Jenna Diermann & Lucas LeBlanc: Two Real Estate Investors’ Journey from Vacation Rentals to Multifamily appeared first on Real Estate Investing in Florida.

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Technology is rapidly changing the way we look at the future. Innovations like automated transit are quickly nearing practical realities. In Tampa Bay, we’re seeing advancements in automated transit already, with the area being positioned as a proving ground for automated systems. Automation and other technologies will bring major changes to existing infrastructure.

No industry will be affected by these impending technologies more than real estate. From multifamily to retail, emerging technologies like automated transit will require an entire rethinking of real estate design and development. Urban planners, architects and developers need to consider these effects and start planning accordingly.

This episode, we discuss these changes on a local and national level. We look at what game-changing technologies are emerging and what urban planners and developers are doing to address these changes now.

Meet Our Guests

Brian Willis is real estate attorney with Shumaker Loop & Kendrick. He is a leading advocate for integrated and sustainable transit in Tampa. Brian brings on-the-ground knowledge of the cutting-edge technologies here in Florida and how Tampa Bay is taking steps to integrate them into current real estate design and development.

Gerry Tierney is an Associate Principal at Perkins + Will. Based out of San Fransisco, Gerry is a leading force for automated transit and mobility and adapting real estate design to suit these changing needs. He serves as the Co-Director of Smart Mobility Lab and has Collaborated with both UCLA – Berkeley and MIT in sustainability research.

Technologies Impacting Real Estate

• Automated transit / autonomous vehicles
  • Autonomy integrating in public transit by 2020s
  • Subscription-based autonomous car ownership coming down the line

Future-proofing Current Real Estate Design

Urban planners, architects and developers needs to consider how current layout and designs will play into emerging technologies.

• Adaptive Use
  • Big-box retail stores
  • Shopping malls
  • Existing parking structures
    • Vertical Parking vs. Horizontal
    • In-fill
    • Mechanized parking
• Urban Design & Planning
  • Current developments built to accommodate automated transit
  • Changes to grid structure and street layouts
  • Rethinking asset classes
    • Industrial
    • Office
    • Multifamily
    • Retail

Resources

• Contact Gerry at gerry.tierney@perkinswill.com or (415) 546-2933
• Contact Brian at (813) 221-7165 or on Twitter @BrianWillisTPA

The post Ep. 136 Brian Willis & Gerry Tierney: Learn How Transit & Technology Changes Will Affect Your Property! appeared first on Real Estate Investing in Florida.

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Whether you invest in multifamily or other commercial properties, if you’re investing for cashflow, you’re going to want your property to attract tenants. The design and function of a property goes a long way in enticing potential tenants. Updating your property with latest design trends and practical features can also increase the value of your investment.

This episode, we talk with Alex Rios. As President of Rios Architecture, Alex has worked on many projects in many asset classes, including office, commercial, medical and multifamily. Lately, he has been actively involved with several multifamily projects around Tampa Bay, including several McKinley developments.

Alex knows that, for cash-flowing investment properties to attract tenants, they need to feature things that people will want. If you want to increase your property value and attract desirable tenants, staying up-to-date with current design trends is important.

Here are some of the hot design trends that can increase the value of your investment property!

• Apartment investors looking for ways to make their property stand out to tenants
• Tight multifamily market has led investors to look at value-add opportunities

Hot Design Trends

• ‘Sophisticated’ look
  • Invest in palette, not singular items
• Colors catering to relaxing environments
  • Light blues
  • Light greens
  • Accent colors
• Floor materials
  • Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) mimics look and quality of wood, durable
• Amenities need to cater to what your desired tenants want
  • Urban lifestyle trends very strong market
  • Digital/online age demands accessible internet
  • Pet accommodations
  • Encourage social interaction
  • Home office flexibility
  • Accessibility and walkability are important features

Investing for the Future

• Plan for changes with new technology
  • Electric cars
  • Automated transit
• Manage your construction costs
  • Account for high labor demand
  • Costs for new development materials

Contact Alex

By email: alex_rios@riosarchitecture.com

Website: riosarchitecture.com

The post Ep. 135 Alex Rios: These Hot Design Trends Can Increase the Value of Your Multifamily Property! appeared first on Real Estate Investing in Florida.

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Single family investors know that keeping up with rental properties and tenants can be a hassle. In addition to dealing with property management, investors must also manage tenants. While a single family rental is a great way for many to earn cashflow, it can be tough to stay organized.

Our guest this week, Gregory Radford knows a thing or two about organization. A decorated military veteran, Greg became a de facto single family rental investor while still serving in the Army. After renting out his home he had purchased using his V.A. loan, he had his Eureka moment. He saw the investment potential of the V.A. loan and leveraged that into becoming a successful single family investor.

Combining the organizational skills and discipline he learned in the Army with his loquacious attitude, Greg created a strategy for earning hassle-free cashflow through single family rental investments. Starting Radford Homes with his wife, Greg is an active single family rental investor in Polk County.

V.A. Loans

• Federal loan program for military vets to put money down on a home
• V.A. loans can be reused as many times as the loan limit allows
  • Homes must be inhabited for 12 months
  • Loan limits vary by state/county
  • Polk County: $424k

5 Tips for Hassle-Free Cashflow

• Niche Marketing
  • Strategic, intentional marketing
• Custom Rental Applications
  • Send pre-scripted correspondence to potential tenants with explicit application instructions.
  • Tenants who fail to follow instructions are disregarded
• Tenant Screening
  • Active listening
  • Asking ope-ended questions during tenant interviews
  • Find out about prior residences
  • Check social media
• Open House for Rentals
  • Controlled open houses
  • Open houses 2x/mo. cuts down on scheduling showings and creates urgency among potential tenants
• Cash-Free Payments
  • Requiring proof of bank account assures tenant’s financial credibility
  • All payments sent through electronic funds transfer or cashier’s check

Investor Resources

• Gary Keller – “Hold”
  • single family rental investing
• Gary Raulston – “Real Estate Principals: A Value Approach”
• Bureau of Labor Statistics – monthly reports

Contact Greg

• On social media @Radford Homes
• By phone: (863)410-0877
• Greg is currently looking to expand into multifamily investing in Polk County

The post Ep. 125 Gregory Radford – 5 Tips for Earning Hassle-Free Cashflow Out of Your Single Family Rental appeared first on Real Estate Investing in Florida.

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Florida has a high density of rivers, lakes, swamps and marshes that are generally protected from development.  This has led many investors to wonder how much land is actually available for development. What many investors may not be familiar with is the concept of mitigation banks. Mitigation banks allow for the development of wetland areas that ordinarily would not be usable for real estate development.

So what exactly is a mitigation bank? How does it function and how can they serve investors and developers? Our guests this week are two experts in the field of environmental law and the designation and use of mitigation banks.

Listeners should remember Frank Hearne. Frank is a shareholder for Mechanik, Nuccio, Hearne & Wester, P.A. He was also one of Invest Florida’s first guests! His firm is one of the state leaders in environmental and land law. Beverly Birkitt, of Birkitt Environmental Services, Inc., has over 35 yrs. experience in the environmental field, with a focus on wetland litigation and litigation banking.

This episode, Frank and Beverly cover the ins-and-outs of using mitigation banks for wetland development and investment.

Mitigation Banks

• Spec wetland approved for future mitigation
• Allows for more usable property for development
• Exchange wetland set for development with wetlands that will be improved upon to compensate
• Must be in the same hydrological zone as wetland to be developed (water basin)
• State sets basin boundaries

Developing Mitigation Banks

• Wetland landowners can develop mitigation banks
• 100-10,000 acres usually
• Market demand in wetland area is critical
• Polk County strong mitigation bank market
• Mitigation banks must improve, not just preserve wetlands
• Mitigation bank credits based on evaluation of improvement, not land size

Hot Mitigation Bank Markets

• Tampa Bay Basin
  • In need of freshwater wetlands
• Coastal areas
• Orlando/I-4 corridor
• Former agricultural lands

Risks for Mitigation Banks

• Feasibility
  • land, permitting, construction, management
• ROI tough to predict

Contact

• If you have land that you believe is eligible for a mitigation bank, let Beverly know! Beverly can be contacted through her website: www.birkitt.com or by calling      (813) 259-1085
• For mitigation bank questions and for more info on other types of mitigation banks, contact Frank by email at frank@floridalandlaw.com or call (813) 909-7400.

Investor/Developer Resources

• http://birkitt.com/
• http://tampabaymitigationbank.com/
• http://www.floridamitigationbanking.org/
• https://ribits.usace.army.mil/
• http://floridalandlaw.com/environmental/
• http://floridalandlaw.com/hearne/

The post Ep. 121 Frank Hearne & Beverly Birkitt: Using Mitigation Banks for Wetland Development and Investment appeared first on Real Estate Investing in Florida.