Just something else to think about that I don't think I've ever heard a guru mention. lolBut, that being said, the area is very popular.

Not sure if this is a popular strategy, but I'm interested in learning more about it. 

Areas like Plant City, Lakeland, Winter Haven, etc are expecting to increase in popularity as pricing continues to rise in Orlando and Tampa.

Buying a home with CashBuying a home with cash has become increasingly popular for many investors but often an investor will be caught with the restrictions to cash out loans if they need to get their money back.

Contrary to popular belief, this is not set because I believe it will give me a higher return.

Here are some popular metrics to considerPopulation growth (5 yr trend)Unemployment rate (5 yr trend)Diversity of job market (no one industry accounting for 25% of employment)Supply/Demand (vacancy rate, absorption rate, etc)Tenant vs Landlord friendly stateYou can find a lot of this information at factfinder.census.gov or by simple google search.  

VRBO is very popular, as is AirBnB.

I was searching for "real estate investing" podcasts on my phone and gave BiggerPockets a try, little knowing just how popular, powerful and helpful this gem would be.

HUD homes are popular targets for wholesalers/rehabbers specifically because there is No resale restriction.  

It is much more popular in the forums than my market haha.