How to estimate potential rental income in an area

[Jervin Justin]

Hi everyone,

I'm very new to real estate investing, and am in the market for a rental property in Dallas (price range $250-300K). My primary fear is that we'll buy a house, and have it sit without a renter for a long time, or we end up barely covering mortgage.

In your experience, what has been the most reliable source of information for:

• Average rent in the area
• Typical vacancy periods

I've seen information on the standard real-estate websites like Trulia, but the ranges between websites vary quite a bit.

Thanks a lot for the help/advice, and apologies in advance if this question has been asked/answered in the past.