Investor/PM Selling Investments - Feedback

[Nathan Slemmons]

Howdy all.

I have been looking at a duplex in a fairly small town (22k residents from 2010 census) but has a decent number of employers including a major auto manufacturer nearby. 

The property is listed for $50k. It's an old house and needs some updating. I'm guessing around $10-$15k. On paper it looks like a decent deal and would cashflow very well without leverage and then very little depending on the level of leverage against it.

This week as I was looking at other properties in the area I found a sudden glut of rental properties in this town. After some quick research I found that the seller is a local investor who also runs a property management company. 

This sell off has me a little rattled as far as the market in this town. It also has me concerned that the sell off will affect potential appraisal of the property I'm looking at since he is selling several duplexes at around the same price as the subject property.  Any advice on how to gain more useful information as to why this guy is selling his investments? 

[Greg Scully]

@Nathan Slemmons - Is it possible to reach out and ask him?  In a small town, someone in the real estate industry may have an idea, is there a good realtor you can ask?

If you're buying for cash flow, then a potential down turn in prices only works to your favor. 

What are the underlying demographics of the market:  population growth, employment, median income, etc.  The fundamentals of the market may be independent of the motivation of the seller...or they think it's good time to get out.