I suppose the closest thing is to target counties that have foreclosure diversion programs.

The real estate market is hot here too, but it's got enough diversity of submarkets for you to find GREAT cash flow. 

Brian, real estate is definitely a very diverse field.

It has a more diverse job base and in the long term just seems like a better hold.

As a Hayward resident and Realtor I enjoy the diversity of the community, not just with the people but also in geography.

You would have to feel comfortable with the city, my only recommendation would be to make sure there is a diversity in the businesses and industries.

When learning about your areas, consider your "back yard" as a good place to start and then possibly move out from there when you gain a little experience or your success depends on it.Certain things will effect that like growth and the economy that is diverse. 

Maybe a typo.With a diverse business like yours, whatever techniques exist out there, they need to be coordinated between each other and aligned with your goals.

It might have areas that will continue to do well and others that will go down in its popularity so I would tend to look in areas close to home and that area in high demand, has a diverse economy, population rise, and job growth, and talking to experienced Agents and get their opinions if I was looking at it long term. 

There are a lot of scary similarities in the market right now as in 05, 06, but agree that the shortage of affordable housing (builders are just now starting to build them, way after the fact) and labor shortage (kids uninterested in the trades) will delay the arrival of a correction (agree it will come eventually).Plus the employment base in Phoenix is much more diverse now than 10-15 years ago (construction & financial) to a lot of technology and corporate support services recently added.