Analyzing the Easton, PA Market

[Asif Baig]

Hi BiggerPockets community,

I am interested in learning more about the Easton, PA area for real estate investing. So far I haven't found as much detailed information breaking down the different neighborhoods in this area. Statistics may often be lumped together by zip code and I don't think it paints a clear picture.

Can anyone with familiarity with the nuances of the Easton area chime in?

Some criteria that I am interested in:

-Neighborhood class - A/B/C
-Prevelant housing type - is it mostly single families, 2-4 family, 5+ unit buildings?
-Quality of tenants - What to expect in terms of income, credit score, etc.
-Vacancy - Is vacancy uniform throughout the area?
-Safety score - Is it safe to walk day/night?
-Typical Rent - How much 2BR or 3BR are renting for?
-Flood risk - Any zones to watch out for that are known for flood risk?

Here are the neighborhoods I have identified, please feel free to add what I missed:

Neighborhoods:
-Downtown
-West Ward
-South Side
-College Hill

Surrounding towns:
-Forks
-Palmer
-West Easton
-Wilson
-Glendon
-Williams

Thank you

[Jeffrey De Los Santos]

Hi @Asif Baig,

I personally am a new investor in the Easton area. I know a lot about the area, as I live in West Easton and am also an Uber driver, so I drive through the in neighborhoods in this area on a daily basis. I recently purchased my first property on 7th st in the downtown area. If you are interested in this market and possibly teaming up, please let me know!

To answer some of your questions above...

First thing is, all the surrounding towns you mentioned are not just towns, but they are actually a part of the Easton area, so please keep in mind that these towns are actually different boroughs within the city of Easton.

If you are looking to invest in ABC class areas in Easton, I would categorize the following areas within these classes:

A Class: Palmer, Old Orchard, Forks, Williams
B Class: West Easton, Wilson, College Hill(Lafayette)
C Class: Southside, Glendon, Downtown

The most prevalent type of homes in Easton are single family homes, but there are also many 2 family homes and some multifamily apartment buildings. Not many large apartment complexes in the Easton area.

In the Easton Area, you should expect mainly low income - middle class tenants. However, I believe you can find quality tenants in Easton, as many of them are working families who are coming from the NJ and NY area looking for affordable living.

Considering I am an Uber driving and have lived/walked through bad neighborhoods, Easton is pretty safe to walk during the day and night, however, I would stay away from walking between 15th-7th St at night. This is the more rough part of town.

A 2-3 BR may go for 800-1300/mo in the Easton Area. Also, I am unsure of any areas that may be a flood risk area in Easton. Its hard to tell considering there are many slopes and hills in Easton. But my guess would be between the blocks of 6th and 7th on Northampton st may seem to be an area where there could possibly be some flooding.

In conclusion, I would say that the Easton area is a fairly decent area to invest in. I personally have not took a deep dive in the area and thoroughly analyzed the market, so im not sure whats the best asset class to invest in, in the area. But I am interested in investing in more properties in this town, as it is a revitalized town and is definitely up and coming. Not sure what the fate of this town would be after this pandemic takes its toll, but as of now I see nothing but good things here.

Please let me know if you have any further questions!!