How do I know if someone will rent in the area?

[Ryan Rochefort]

I was wondering how an out-of-state investor would know where the rental "areas" are in a potential location. Like what if I bought a property in a location that there were few renters? Just wondering what the key indicators are, I'm assuming that part of the investor's due diligence would be to find that out beforehand, what are some good resources? Talking to locals? Thanks BP.

[Alex Huang]

A few ways that I have found effective:

1. Call area property management companies and ask about the area and whether they have any rentals (or experience with rentals in the past) in that area.

2. Try to connect with some investors in the area. The experienced ones probably either have knowledge of the area or know of someone who has properties in the area that they could connect you with.

3. Try to grab census data. You might be able to find info on owner-occupied homes vs total dwellings in the area which should provide a nice snapshot of rental demand in that particular town.