However, the suitability of buying and renting out a single-family home in Richmond can depend on various factors, such as market trends, rental demand, and property values (similar case with all markets, really.)Chatting with a local agent in the area can provide very helpful insights into the market, data, and specific neighborhoods.

If not, I have a lot of local knowledge and the typical trends of many of the Atlanta suburbs.

They can help you navigate the market and avoid common pitfalls.If you’re serious about taking the plunge, start analyzing properties in both Boston and Chicago markets to understand local trends.

And sounds like a good set of options you are looking at.Here's some data and visualization on recent trends in some of the markets mentioned here.

@Brittany MyrickIf I were getting started in real estate investing in New England, I’d focus on researching local market trends, especially job growth, rental demand, and the broader economic outlook.

I like the space as this is pretty fragmented vs MH, so cap rates seems to trend higher. 

@Luke Spencer I am not on the management side but I can tell you it took 2+ years to fill 300 units at one of our facilities and the other just hit 300 units in 12/13 months so it really depends on the demographics, and local housing market trend, the more people moving in and out the higher the demand for storage.I think if you're looking at a saturated market then the upfront cash to turn the warehouse into self storage is not a good idea but then again, maybe those operators are on back roads ( low visibility ) and don't push google ads well.

You have to keep up with rent trends or tough it out and wait for hopefully a stronger rental market this spring.   

We all know 'housing affordability' is one of the hottest political topics as of late but I'm not seeing any commitments to increase inventory. 

@Kasey Hardt very interesting,  didn't realize this was a pattern but even I've got friends that are getting recruited to the area for medical device startups etc, so could be a very interesting trend to watch.