Thanks all for the kind words...Brandon Turner I would like to build a diverse portfolio of rentals and flips.

There is ample diversity in employment, such that a downfall in any one company or industry can not take down the entire marketIf people are moving into this city and have plenty of employment opportunities, then that’s a good start.Next you want rental vacancies to be low, and rental rates to be steadily increasing.

Have a diverse community that you are investing in and have a rising population.  

In addition to hard data, here are the qualitative factors that I am considering: - job diversity (I don't want a single industry to dominate the job market)- landlord/tenant laws (this is one of the top reasons I can no longer invest in the Bay Area)- personal advantage (I'm still trying to find mine.

My favorite part about living in this space was the diversity that this type of housing promotes.

Also, should I zero in on one area only to maximize local services or diversity in different regions of the country?

My wife and I currently live in Surrey BC, however she is an American working as a health care professional in Bellingham so we are actually looking to house hack our first purchase somewhere near Blaine or Lynden.I initially joined bigger pockets for the educational material and tools, but when I realized there was a whole ecosystem of people on here I became pretty excited to meet and network with other experienced real estate investors and agents in the area.Our short term goal is to house hack a 4-plex somewhere north of Bellingham and then once we have taken that first step we can start to look outwards in terms of investments.

Hope Valley has a lot of million dollar plus homes but the neighborhood also has no HOA and it is 50+ years old, so there is an unusual diversity of home types and some older homes that need some TLC.

I have questions about unemployment forecasts, population forecasts, plans to increase economic diversity, and how aggressively they plan to go after companies relocating to the city.

As our goal is for early retirement in 15 years :)You will love the diverse community and all the resources.