I went out of state for the cash flow and to eventually supplement my w-2 income.

Also supplementing with 2, 1 bdrm condos. 

@Troy EgarOne way of beginning to gain an understanding of your market it by looking at the relevant data.Data sources such as the American Community Survey, also known as the annual Census, can help you judge a location by considering key market indicators, which I list below.Some of the metrics that I find valuable to understand are:- Population Total- Population Age - Home Values- Household Incomes- Rental Vacancy Rate- Homeowner Vacancy Rate- Poverty Rate- Educational Attainment Rate (High School/GED & Bachelors)- Number of Housing Unit- Rent to Income Ratio- Rent to Price Ratio- Population on SNAPS (supplemental nutrition assistance program) percentage- Property Tax Rate- Median Age of Buildings- Number of Structures by Units (SFR, Duplex, Triplex, Quadplex, etc...)- Median Rents by Number of Bedrooms- Unemployment Rate- Employment Sectors Percentages- Number of Building Permits Issued- Foreclosure Rate- School Ratings- Crime Statistics Also take into consideration the direction in which each of these market indicators are trending.

I suggest targeting a few cities, which you can select by looking at the relevant data.Data sources such as the American Community Survey, also known as the annual Census, can help you judge a location by considering key market indicators, which I list below.Some of the metrics that I find valuable to understand are:- Population Total- Population Age - Home Values- Household Incomes- Rental Vacancy Rate- Homeowner Vacancy Rate- Poverty Rate- Educational Attainment Rate (High School/GED & Bachelors)- Number of Housing Unit- Rent to Income Ratio- Rent to Price Ratio- Population on SNAPS (supplemental nutrition assistance program) percentage- Property Tax Rate- Median Age of Buildings- Number of Structures by Units (SFR, Duplex, Triplex, Quadplex, etc...)- Median Rents by Number of Bedrooms- Unemployment Rate- Employment Sectors Percentages- Number of Building Permits Issued- Foreclosure Rate- School Ratings- Crime Statistics Also take into consideration the direction in which each of these market indicators are trending.

My old employer used to supplement it as a perk but I never used it so can't comment too much.

Some of the metrics that I find valuable to understand are:- Population Total- Population Age- Home Values- Household Incomes- Rental Vacancy Rate- Homeowner Vacancy Rate- Poverty Rate- Educational Attainment Rate (High School/GED & Bachelors)- Number of Housing Unit- Rent to Income Ratio- Rent to Price Ratio- Population on SNAPS (supplemental nutrition assistance program) percentage- Property Tax Rate- Median Age of Buildings- Number of Structures by Units (SFR, Duplex, Triplex, Quadplex, etc...)- Median Rents by Number of Bedrooms- Unemployment Rate- Employment Sectors Percentages- Number of Building Permits Issued- Foreclosure Rate- School Ratings- Crime StatisticsWhen you consider all the variables listed above you will be better able to judge a locations tenant quality.Also take into consideration the direction in which each of these market indicators are trending.

This was an excellent supplement to what Ola stated and some extremely sound advice.

When the city started implementing a supplemental tax a few years back she alerted me proactively since it affected my units there.If you plan to invest in the city I'd recommend taking her out for coffee as she's been there, and managing units there, for a while.On the middle school project in particular, the most recent update I have (from April of this year) is: Tai-O Group requests extension for middle school project.The part of that article which concerns me most has nothing to do with the middle school project actually, but the following:"[The developer] said the continued delays on the project are due in part to the high turnover of leadership in the city’s Planning Department since he first approached the city almost three years ago.

For me, I want a steady income in retirement to supplement my pension. 

but the pay is poor and I'm trying to supplement income with rental properties.