Once and for all- HERE is where to buy!!

[Rich Weese]

Lots of posts and threads on here as well as PMs asking: Where is the best place to invest? Well. here is the answer, if you're looking for long term. You need to buy where people want to live! How difficult is that? Duh! In a seminar I gave several years ago, I presented the following info. and feel it is even more important today. Don't try and swim against the current.

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2005/11/01/8362817/index.htm

This article lists the 25 areas in the U.S that will house the majority of the population within the next decade or so. It is no surprise that I've purchased EVERY single one of my properties in one of these areas. And, when I've moved to an area to buy real estate- it has been AZ, TX and FL.
To make it easier for those that don't want to read, I even have a map for you(due to Steve and Jon teaching me to post a picture)!

http://www.biggerpockets.com/galleries/show/6211

If I did the picture correct, there should be a nice map. If not, screw it!!! Rich

[HERE'S THE MAP, JON]

[Vikram C.]

I can't understand how anyone can disagree with Rich's main contention. There is incontrovertible long-term data that shows that population is growing faster in places that have milder winters - specifically the following places:

West Coast
The Southwest
Florida
Atlanta and the Research Triange

People need homes. They also eat at restaurants and shop at stores. So these faster growing cities can be expected to have higher economic growth than the slow-growing cities of the colder states.

Tim is right that you can make money in declining and stagnant places as well. But it is easier to make money in growing economies because there are many investment strategies that will work in such places.

One strategy that won't work, of course, is to buy at the peak of a property bubble. Bubbles are more prone to happen in fast-growing economies so one has to be wary of that.