Fresh of the boat and want to invest in the near future.

[Emmanuel Cuisinier]

Hello everyone,

Let me start by explaining the big picture.

I'm from Belgium. After 4 years and many flights between Europe and the US, I permanently moved to the US in October 2018 and married my wife (US Citizen). We recently made an offer on a house, the closing date is coming very soon. The system in Belgium is completely different. In very short period of time I learnt as much as I could about mortgages, banks in general, home inspection, closing costs, taxes, realtor fees, HELOC, homeowner insurance and many more "must know" things. In a nutshell I didn't know anything about US real estate two months ago.

Investing in rental properties is something we definitely want to do in the near future. (1year maximum?) "Near future" because our priorities are now on the house we bought, relocating and starting a life somewhere else. 

I would like to know where I can start to know and understand the rental market ? How can I decide if it's worth investing in rental properties in the region ? Are people looking for rents instead of buying a house ? Where should I start ?

I'm not asking for a step by step tutorial but any advice (book, videos, blogs, etc.) is welcome.

We are moving from downtown Chicago to St. Louis area, on the Illinois side. (25 mins from STL).

Thank you so much and have a nice day !