Rental unit in an area with very few other rentals?

[Nikki Closser]

I’m very new at this, so forgive me if this has been talked about a million times already! We are looking at duplexes in several areas in Michigan. 

Some are in areas where there are tons of other rentals and renting is common (the areas aren’t that great and they are much cheaper). But, we found a few in much better areas where it is not as common to find rentals and they are more expensive.

Trying to decide which route to take! It seems like buying in an area without a lot of rental options could go either way — we either rent it easily because we are one of the few options or it sits empty because people aren’t looking for rentals?? 

I’m sure it depends on lots of other factors, and of course looking at each duplex individually to see if they are actually a good deal, but is there a rule around what typically works better — buy in an area with lots of rentals or very few rentals?