Buying Rocky Mount and Wilson

[Ryan Overcash]

Has anywhere had good success investing in the outskirt towns/cities around Raleigh like Wilson and Rocky Mount? Living in Raleigh, the reputation of those areas isn't always the best. However, I think those areas have headed in the right direction more recently. 

Would love to know more about the market, what to look out for, and any areas to avoid at all costs. Thanks!

[Chris Martin]

I prefer Greenville, NC over Rocky Mount or Wilson. Greenville has a little better population growth and is about 90K people, roughly the size of Rocky Mount and Wilson combined. All these cities, though, are in Tier 1 counties (per NC DOC Tier Ranking). When I bought an apartment in Greenville NC in 2017, Pitt County had been a Tier 2 county for decades. Three of the last 5 years, though, they slipped to a Tier 1 designation. Of note, Edgecombe County (Rocky Mount) is the most distressed county in NC.