New to Real Estate: How to Determine if the Area is Good

[Isaac Harsh]

Hello there,

I am new, and interested, in starting my journey in real estate investing. There is one question I have to start this out:

How can I tell if an area I want to invest in is declining, rising, or a poor decision. Aside from driving around, I have no clue how to tell. Or should I just pick an area I already know and go with it regardless of whether or not it is declining or rising.