When scouting neighborhoods, it’s always smart to look at historical appreciation, rental demand, and turnover rates local forums and Meetup groups can be a great way to get insider insight.

It’s tough to balance and, historically, the Fed has tended to move way, way too late one way or the other.

👋For market rent comps, here are a few resources I’ve found useful:Zillow / Rentometer / Apartments.com – good for quick ballpark numbers.Local Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace – can give you the real “street-level” rents in your area.Property management companies – sometimes you can get insight directly from agents or PMs who know what’s actually renting.County or city property records – some areas publish historical rental data.BiggerPockets forums & networking – ask local investors; they often have current comps you won’t find online.Since you’re a commercial realtor starting out, combining online tools with local market intel will give you the most accurate picture.

I’d recommend automating those first, even if you start small, then refine the percentages as you get historical data.It’s less about the exact system and more about removing temptation to spend what should be reserved.

It's a nice town, but SW FL has historically been the first to go down in a crash and that area, when it goes, crashes hard.

Rates are historically really great right now, but people remember the insanely low rates of 2001 and think that was normal.

At historical occupancy (~60–65%), the deal produces healthy positive cash flow.Occupancy used to average 60–65%, but recently dipped to the low 40s due to management/marketing issues.Strong potential to restore performance through operational improvements.Hostel market demand remains resilient with strong traveler interest.

They’re staying out because home prices remain historically unaffordable.

For historical sake, here is a chart showing just the revisions in the job numbers.

We still have time.This year has been tracking like the prior 3 years, except for Jan/Feb 2025 which was absolutely brutal which we attribute to the snowy weather.September is very light but historically that's been a problem for us.