Resources to do market research

[Dave Hart]

I'm looking to buy another small multi (2-4 unit). I'm debating markets (Chicago and STL) as well as individual neighborhoods / areas within those markets. I hear the BP podcasts reference interesting data points like; price to rent ratio, time on market, vacancy rates, population growth, etc. I'd love any recommendations on resources I can use to look at data like that (ideally at a zip-level, not just total DMA). I want to get tighter on my buy box before reaching out to realtors, wholesellers, lenders, etc.

I'm also curious if those data points are more focused on SFH as opposed to multi family.

Thanks community!

Dave

[Ko Kashiwagi]

Hi Dave,

If you are looking for an all-in-one solution, you'd need to look into paid services like Co-Star. For a lower budget or for free, it's best to gather and combine all the information. For instance, for school ratings, you'd look at greatschools.org, and for average days on market, you can use Rocket Homes. For free resources and data, websites like the, FRED, Statistica, YCharts, Trading Economics, and Local government or chamber of commerce are great places to start.