New Member intro and Market Analysis - How do you analyze a property location?

[Ryan Stahr]

I'm hopefully a soon to be new investor, I'm very interested in small multifamily homes, and I've read through the "ultimate beginner's guide" as well as multiple books on the topic of investing. I found out about biggerpockets.com simply through internet research. What a great community! hopefully, I'll be very active over the coming months as I begin to learn and grow as an investor.

So i am curious about how more seasoned investors analyze a certain location. How do you decide, on the grand scale, to invest in an area? are there any common characteristics you seek?

I know some areas can have a certain "reputation" associated with them. Do you consider this in your analysis of a property or do you stick to quantifiable data?

Essentially, I'd love to hear what other investors use as location criteria, from as broad as "I choose Kansas City Metro over Overland Park" to as specific as "I choose 30th street over Troost". how do you make these choices?