See if you feel like the place is in decline or if it is vibrant.

The experience and knowledge you'll gain from being in that ecosystem will pay more dividends than wages will. 

Me thinks this is a good bet to ride through any type of storm  and we were blessed to miss the last hurricane :)   I will be out there mid Oct to check on our projects I love it there if I was 20 years younger I would pack up and move there its so vibrant for real estate development..

@William SlaterWelcome to the vibrant BP community.

Hi Jeremy,I think a great ad is one with a vibrant and hyperlinked call-to-action photo that simply redirects to your Property Information Form for the seller to fill out.I honestly do not see how a generic We Buy Houses ad with a phone number is effective as you can at any time have a handful of leads call you up, block the lines and/or waste your time with their stories, questions, issues, etc.As mentioned, you should ultimately have a strong call-to-action that points back to your website/squeeze page for the seller to fill out their information.

@Phil Mcnally - I'd say heating bills are just as often covered by tenants here - and our economy is oil tied - but Anchorage is also a vibrant city that is a hub for the entire state - and locked between ocean and mountains land is at a premium.

Account Closed - Welcome to the vibrant BP community.Below, is the link to a blog that will get you well on your way to deal analysis.Good luck and best wishes with your REI activities.http://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2010/06/30/introduction-to-real-estate-analysis-investing/

etc.You will not see this as a dumpy mid western town you will see it as a vibrant CA city which it is. 

@Kevin WynWelcome to the vibrant BP community.

No...it's an entire ecosystem, like my crappy pond.