@Jason Galli
1. SFH - Western suburbs are slightly higher priced though appreciation is slightly better too. It's a trade off. So, answer is it depends on a few factors. Are you planning to live in this house? First tier suburbs are great too, like Golden Valley or St. Anthony or Hopkins. If you are planning to live in the property then you can have less down payment rather than the standard 25% down on an investment property.
2. Check us out as I run a team of investment property realtors. Look under bigger pockets events for livestream interviews about investing.
3. Trends - I agree with you that good schools are always a draw and help values stay strong on properties. Location still stands as the most important, even within a suburb, it can come down to the street, neighbors, whether there is an anomaly, like high wires, or nearby railroad tracks, etc.
Also, a standard investing formula of buying 3 BR roughly 1200 sf house is valid in most markets. That would be considered first time home buyer inventory. So whether you keep for rental for however long or decide to sell, it is the most desired type of housing and always has a strong demand. I would call this a two play plan. Smart in this changing economy.
As far as the market in the Twin Cities right now, there is a lack of inventory, when something gets listed it's been moving quickly, within days. We are still seeing multiple offers and there is definitely tactics to getting what you want. There is opportunity from our recent events where more people are now making the decision to move. All this time at home has spurred some home improvements and getting prepared to sell and also some families have experienced unfortunate events that cause downsizing or selling. You'll see action and movement in housing in spite of unrest. Hopefully, housing will lead the economic recovery as predicted.
