Supply and Demand for Rental Investing

[Ashley Budyak]

I am at the beginning stages of real estate investing, I am right our of college and I am starting to do a lot of research about real estate investing. One of the big topics that I have been trying to master is determining the supply and demand of a target market, without access to sites such as MLS. How can I determine the supply (# of people looking to rent) and the demand (# of rental properties in that area, # of rental vacancies, occupancy rate, ect.) I have seen analysis done with MLS, but I do not have access. Is there other ways for me to get access to that type of data? I am not looking to invest yet, just trying to practice and become familiar with the steps I need to take for when I am ready.