There are ways to thrive in Austin for rental properties but don't try to force a square peg in a round hole.

utm_source=search&utm_medium=internal&utm_campaign=books (books recommended by BPers)Simply, bone up on the areas that you need to expand knowledge in such as, Forums, Marketplace, Learn, Network, Analyze and Resources.Feast on the Podcasts, #askbp Podcasts, blogs and webinars Lastly, this site thrives on interactions and as such we encourage two way exchanges and look forward to educational and thought provoking ideas relevant to REI.

I thrive by doing good work with good people.  

If they had, they'd be thriving as much now as they were then (as the rest are)...

Your best bet is usually someplace that nobody thinks of, but has a thriving economy nonetheless.

Just thought it would be interesting to hear first hand from investors during that time where you were at prior to the crash (property pricing, difficulty in obtaining good deals, market saturation, etc and what happened once the crash came, how you survived or thrived during this and then how you did when everything started to come back up.

i was down there back in march and loved the booming downtown, general accessibility of the city, and the things you guys mentioned above. i like the small town vibe n thriving music scene, too. i live in the city (nyc/sf) where nothing in remotely affordable but i've lived in/visited to a bunch of small towns across us (austin, portland, seattle, denver, nashville, richmond, blacksburg, etc). my buddy lives down there (last 7 years) n knows the area but wanted to get a broader opinion and to build a network..on the east coast, my $ goes further in greensboro than say slum-lording around the DMV (pg county, bmore..)i essentially wanna leverage up while i have income, while rates are low...also, i like small towns..my priorities are likely, -stability-location (convenience, families)-uniqueness (like the southern bungalows vibe and trees..

utm_source=search&utm_medium=internal&utm_campaign=books (books recommended by BPers)Simply, bone up on the areas that you need to expand knowledge in such as, Forums, Marketplace, Learn, Network, Analyze and Resources.Feast on the Podcasts, #askbp Podcasts, blogs and webinars Lastly, this site thrives on interactions and as such we encourage two way exchanges and look forward to educational and thought provoking ideas relevant to REI.

utm_source=search&utm_medium=internal&utm_campaign=books (books recommended by BPers)Simply, bone up on the areas that you need to expand knowledge in such as, Forums, Marketplace, Learn, Network, Analyze and Resources.Feast on the Podcasts, #askbp Podcasts, blogs and webinars Lastly, this site thrives on interactions and as such we encourage two way exchanges and look forward to educational and thought provoking ideas relevant to REI.

Ok, now that you have taken your initial step, below are some quick links to get engaged.http://www.biggerpockets.com/starthere http://www.biggerpockets.com/ubg http://www.biggerpockets.com/meet Setting up Keyword Alerts How to Use @Mentions on BiggerPockets 25 Tips for Real Estate SuccessREI can be very daunting, but, before you go searching for that 1st buy, please take a few minutes to bone up on the tips in link below.http://www.realestate.com/advice/buying-your-first-investment-property/ However, this site thrives on interactions and as such we encourage two way exchanges and look forward to educational and thought provoking ideas relevant to REI.