Focus on one area or diversify?

[Tyler D.]

I recently close on a great deal in a small town that I think has potential for growth. It is about an hour away from a much bigger city that residents have been moving away from to escape increasing rents.

I am considering buying more property here, because due to the small size of the city I could control a lot of the market, and there are a lot of great deals, unlike just 30 minutes away where prices are much higher. However, there is the possibility that jobs die off and everyone leaves, leaving me holding the bag.

I have considered spreading out my investments over several cities to hedge against a single point of failure, but doing so would mean settling for higher prices without much of an increase in rent. Your thoughts?