Originally posted by @Philip Abbey:@Craig JeppesenConsumer debt is around 55k and household income is about 50k a year so a lot more so there is more risk

.- Population growth: look for over 1% a year, easy to use Census data to compare to other MSAs- Median household income: 3x average rents, growing trend over time.

Otherwise, you have added a number of individuals to your household who are unable (physically/legally/emotionally/etc) to pay for their own keep.So if one *really* wants to maximize investment potential, having kids should be pretty far down on the list.

In my household a letter like that may not get opened until a week later.

I decided the escalating values did not make sense financially, the average household income was still flat but the average house price doubled in a few years.

Not the best environment for household goods . 

Originally posted by Account Closed I hear you about how things will look over time, but using tody as a jumping off point, the Los Angeles case schiller is at an all time high, around 285, reflecting the stretched valuations- in a city with a median household income of around 60k (I know there is a huge range) where tenants are already paying over 30% of their income in rent. 

Check out the median household income of the zip code and that will provide an indication of the property class. 

@Garrison Householder BTW if "householder" is really your last name you have the COOLEST buy and hold investor name anywhere. 

Busy running the real estate business, rehabbing one place, landlording a dozen more, and keeping the household intact.