Originally posted by @Layne T.:
In a nutshell:
- Look for markets you either know, have a great team, want to move to yourself one day, AND are solid markets (cities which are not dying, which cash flow, which are known to be stable even during recessions, good landlord laws and will appreciate somewhat). Let's keep it simple and say Atlanta, Dallas, Indianapolis, Tampa.
I just want to second this... the "smile" cities around the USA are seeing more investment money flowing in than anywhere else. Smile cities are big cities on the east coast, southeast, southwest, and west coast - a literal "smile" on the map. Investors like the low cost of living and so do the businesses who are opening new offices there.
Here in Atlanta, there's all sorts of new companies coming up from tech incubators near Georgia Tech. As well, many companies have moved their headquarters or have built larger national or regional headquarters buildings here. State Farm is an example.
As well, the department of transportation has been investing in more highway lanes all over the place. The I-75, I-85, and GA-400 corridors north of the city are expected to grow a lot over the next few decades. I've already seen massive growth in my rental rates and property valuations along I-75 over the past 5 years.
