Once I choose areas I will find Agents with experience in investments such as this (most likely from forums such as this if allowed) who have been successful at what they do and who can basically "sell me" on the idea on investing in that neighborhood or that specific property(ies) using statistics, trends and other knowledge that may be hard to find online.Any suggestions, advice and comments would be greatly appriciated.

Join the local Chamber Of Commerce or go to thier sight they have local statistics.

I would also like to hear about this statistic from MikeOh's experience, but I would say that about 50%+ of the existing tenants that we have inherited over the years end up getting evicted.

Also, look at the statistics for population growth versus number of new homes built -- simple supply and demand if you know such figures is always the best predictive.

Just some local statistics for ya'll.

They'll sell just because I have the market statistics sitting in front of me every day (I'm a real estate agent).Knowing a market well is 100 times more important than just picking a area that's "Good"

These reports are helpful for noting trends and statistics that you can use for your business plan and property package.

Not sure of the reason but statistically the state of Utah holds a higher percentage of these types of companies and gurus then any other state.

A couple tips for identifying a good market: - #1 is jobs - both job growth and job diversity - growing population and, ideally, at least 250k people in the MSA (metropolitan statistical area as defined by census.gov) - you'll want to look at the tenant/landlord laws to see how quickly you can boot someone if they aren't paying rent - NYC it's pretty ridiculous at about 6 month whereas Texas, OK and Ohio (states where I invest) it's about 5 weeks on average from notice to out the door - and, obviously, supply/demand and cash flow Welcome again, and really glad you introduced yourself. 

I am smart (have a B.A. in mathematics & M.Ed), organized, have great negotiating skills, and enjoy calculating statistics to make sure my clients get a great deal.