My wife has focused entirely on residential real estate but now that I am a BDM for a PM company she is also expanding into helping investors. 

I have not been a fan of the larger property management companies who heavily market without a focus on the local markets they handle.

For example, Pinal County has the highest projected population growth over the next 30 years, but I’m not sure if that necessarily makes it a better market than Phoenix for long-term investments.When evaluating a location, what are the most important things you focus on?

In terms of feedback from our team, we’re leaning towards buttoning down the hatches, keeping rent increases low, and focusing on maximizing occupancy in our New England markets.

That should be your focus, not how to purchase the land.  

His primary focus was to protect all military bases in that region.

And proximity to hospitals is key, within 15 minutes is what I seek.When I was trying to determine demand for our area, I selected about 20 listings near the location I was focused on, and tracked them for several months.

If you need income from investing than you do need to focus on the cash flow viability, but as you said, both is best.

Focus on areas with strong population and job growth—that's usually a good sign of demand.

It was a tough moment, but it pushed me to focus on preparation and delivering my message with confidence.