Drive around the neighborhoods that are a) close to downtown, b) used to be nice but fell onto hard times and c) look and feel like the area is starting to gentrify. 

Note: These are suburban buildings but in highly desirable towns with close proximity to downtown Chicago.

I am targeting the following areas (suburbs/downtown): 1: Phoenix, AZ 2.

The education and health services sector alone added 23,800 jobs in the past year, reflecting a significant expansion in these industries, particularly in healthcare and social assistance​.Proximity to Major Employment Centers: Greater Heights offers convenient access to key employment hubs such as downtown Houston and the Galleria area, which are major attractors for residents due to the short commute and abundant job opportunities​.Education: Nearby institutions like University of Houston and Rice University contribute to the area's appeal.Infrastructure Projects: Ongoing developments like the East Blocks Redevelopment and BioHub II at Generation Park enhance local amenities and attractiveness.Investment InsightsGreater Heights Rental Market Trends:Single-Family House Rentals:Median Rent: $1,350 for 1 bedroom, $2,695 for 2 bedrooms, $3,250 for 3 bedrooms, and $6,100 for 4+ bedrooms​​.Stability in rent prices with modest YoY increases: 2 bedroom rents increased by $195, and 3 bedroom rents by $250​​.Median Sold Price YoY ComparisonApartment Rentals:1 bedroom apartments saw a YoY increase of $305, 2 bedroom apartments by $667, indicating strong demand for these unit types​​.Available Rentals:High availability of both house and apartment rentals, indicating a robust market that can support new rental investments​​.Sales Market Trends:Median Sale Prices:Significant appreciation in home values, particularly in 1-bedroom homes, which saw a 190.7% increase from $215K to $625K​​.Other bedroom counts also showed positive appreciation, e.g., 2 bedrooms (5.3%), 3 bedrooms (6.5%), 4 bedrooms (17.4%)​​.Market Activity:Increased number of homes for sale and sold, suggesting a dynamic and active real estate market.

I'd build not buy in columbus you can get much closer to downtown than the really bad neighborhoods all these realtors are going to send you to. we build small multifamily for out of state investors right now. 

The renter of our condo in downtown Asheville gave notice due to the city being without water since they expect it to be weeks before city water is back on. 

NJ gets a bad reputation but if break state down town by town it is raising rents and collect rents is easy, just need to make sure you are buying in those favorable towns.

We currently are under contract to buy a .3 acre lot in downtown that is in a frequent transit area, which means we are allowed to build two accessory dwelling units on the lot. we are also zoned for a duplex, so that’s the plan!

But I visited downtown and it was not at all what I expected.This was late 2018.

In Minneapolis, the Downtown East Commons Park, initially built for Super Bowl LII, has helped attract office buildings and residential developments.