market analysis

[Andrew Levin]

a friend of mine grew up in Atlanta (we currently live in NYC) and he wants us to buy a rental property there --- he has family down there, he knows the local areas so i trust him that we will be able to find the right property in that market.

but i personally don't know much about the greater Atlanta market and am looking for advice as to how i can get up to speed? On the micro level, i trust him in terms of finding the right location --- but i'd like to get comfortable with Atlanta on the macro level. What should i be looking at specifically? and what resources can i use to find the info i need?

thank you

[Curt Smith]

Just my 2 cents, working the Atlanta area as an investor, is that you are more likely to get a better deal working a city where the hedge funds aren't buying. Why do you think you can pluck good deals out of the jaws of aggressive fund buyers? What folks from expensive areas of the country don't realize is that a house that seems cheap by their locale's standards does not make for a good deal in the locale where the house is located, right?

Look at emerging market cities on the coast: Mobile, Savannah, the triangle area in N.C. Any city that you don't find news of hedgefund buying. Use google and the local REIAs to find areas without fund buying distorting the price for investment property.

We've moved out of Atlanta ourselves so show we take our own advice. :) I hear of Southern Michigan as a new hot bed of migrant rehabbers. LOL so many videos from those folks on the net re deals in MI, Northern Ohio etc.

Best of luck, curt