The website analyzed Birmingham real estate and looked at key statistics related to the rental market to determine that the Magic City is the ninth best city for renters in the nation.

., @Minh Le, @Bob Bowling, @Arlen Chou and other equity guys, is this NYC statistic one more piece of support of the increasing rents and cash flow in prime areas?..

I've looked at the Chicago Tribune's monthly crime statistics and it's not hideous.  

You can go online and check area demographics on different sites, including the State of California Deparment of Labor Statistics.

I like zillow for looking at prices. i like craigslist to see what people in the area are looking for. i like using the county website for seeing who owns each property, what they paid, etc. to determine what job trends are I'll read the news to see if companies are coming or going. but that's for the places I already picked to focus on. for general overviews on how to pick an investing location, i'm not sure. maybe forbes or realtor.com have statistics pages that say "this area is expected to increase by x%"

Perhaps more importantly, when I get to interact with a client in person, that client is statistically far more likely to include me when they're planning changes in their business.

This is a proven systematic way to market to a unique list of people who are not on most peoples radar, and, have a high statistical likelyhood of selling.As Chris said, take it with a grain of salt.

I have been on the US Census website, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the State of Illinois, and the Sangamon County website as well.

Statistics won't show this but but if you know how to buy properties at wholesale the equity growth combined with principle paydown where leveraged is significant.

I've developed solid business relationships with people I like to work with as well and this helps a lot.I utilize google maps, rentometer, trulia, zillow, online crime statistics, county web sites, court records, etc.