How to choose location?

[Saben Hinckley]

Hey there Pockies,

Wondering if anyone might be willing to share some tips / tools on how they choose their location to invest in? I live in Chicago and am trying decide what area would be best, my real estate friends have told me to find the most hopping area with shops, food, etc and then buy just outside that.

If I’m looking to get into buy and hold rental properties, what factors do I need to consider in terms of location? Furthermore, how do I identify wether a neighborhood has those factors? Using Data from online sources?

Thanks so much advance for any tips you may have!