Does seasoning start when the property is bought? 

The deal has to make sense and you really need to know the comps to make sure your investment is going to actually make money.

When a rental is taken out of service for personal use the accumulated depreciation goes away over a short period of time. 

welcome to BP and the forums @Frank Oliver I hope you find it as eye opening and supportive as I have over the many year's I've been participating. 

Here are a few suggestions on how you can maximize the wealth of information available: Check out the blogs and podcasts, or take advantage of the search feature (magnifying glass).

Hey Guys, I've been in the Birmingham Market my whole life!

Where to get the most recent and accurate data for things like:Unemployment dataPopulation growthJob diversity and top employers in the areaVacancy rates (eg huduser.org)Property taxes and jnsurance costsI saw bp pro and reventure and a bunch of other websites provide some of this data, but i wonder how accurate and recent it is.

I am a Broker Salesperson in the Jersey City/Hoboken area with over a decade of experience and have worked with many investors. 

Hello BP,The Producer Price Index (PPI) is a valuable metric to monitor, as it measures inflation from a business perspective (what businesses pay for services/goods) that isn't always reflected in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or "inflation" which is commonly discussed in headlines and among other investors.

I am about to settle on an established rent-by-the-room that is within the same few blocks.