I came across Bigger Pockets in early November and immediately was captivated by Brandon and David and the guests on the show.  

I am not sure what the population trends are for Mason City, but from brief readings I have done, people are leaving small towns for cities, so that could mean Mason City has a small growing population.Lastly, if this is your first investment, I would recommend investing locally first, rather than out of state.

seems that these "deliver in a box" foam mattress' are the trend these days but I go back and forth.  

Lacking direction from historical operating trends, after figuring out what is separately metered and who is responsible for what utility, I would then use a combination of common sense and reaching out to a local expert to underwrite each applicable utility.

yeah... follow the big trend and mostly invest in stocks, not bonds (I'm in the late 30's and I still do invest in stocks 100%, not bonds).  

I am very interested in learning property trends in Long Island.

Unfortunately this is the new trend in reporting.

Both are more focused toward professional property managers, but they have loads of great information on investing, Real Estate trends, and best practices as a landlord.  

.)- Median Rents by Number of Bedrooms- Unemployment Rate- Employment Sectors Percentages- Number of Building Permits Issued- Foreclosure Rate- School Ratings- Crime StatisticsWhen you consider all the variables listed above you will be better able to judge a locations tenant quality.Also take into consideration the direction in which each of these market indicators are trending.

.)- Median Rents by Number of Bedrooms- Unemployment Rate- Employment Sectors Percentages- Number of Building Permits Issued- Foreclosure Rate- School Ratings- Crime StatisticsWhen you consider all the variables listed above you will be better able to judge a locations tenant quality.Also take into consideration the direction in which each of these market indicators are trending.