1st time NY investor visiting Raleigh NC-seeking advice for visit

[Maricruz Romero]

Hi BP!

I am interested in the Raleigh real estate market and I will be visiting the area  for a week from May 21st to May 28th. I am looking for advice from others who have gone on similar trips to get to know the area in which they are investing. When visiting a new market what are some of the things you do while there? What are some of the things I should do to get to know the market and be better prepared to invest from out of state? Who do you recommend I meet with?

Additional background - This is my first visit to North Carolina so I am not familiar with the area. I will be staying with a close friend who has lived in the area for 10+ years so she will be my primary contact and source of info. I tried searching BP meetups but doesn't look like there are any scheduled while I'm there.

Thank you, appreciate all advice!

[Andrew S.]

Originally posted by @Maricruz Romero:

@Will Kaufmann thank you for your reply. I am interested in buy and hold and I would be looking into duplexes. Are there any specific areas you would recommend? 

I am relying more on my friend to get more general info on the neighborhoods rather than investment advice - thanks for the heads up.

 Check out some of @Chris Martin 's posts on the inventory of duplex/tri/quads in the Raleigh area (very detailed statistics).  It is quite limited, so if that is what your business plan calls for then Raleigh might not be your best option.