My other strategy, which seems way too unwieldy and unfocused, has been to open Google Maps, and pick random cities that I have either heard of, or are adjacent to population centers or natural attractions (mountains, lakes, parks etc), and start looking at Zillow and comparing historical data for the props I see listed to try to gauge where we might be on the bell curve of appreciation.

I provide my customers with data/comps tailored to potential properties they are looking to purchase but I wanted to see if there is anything else you look for?

If you don't have access to a broker just yet then Reonomy is the next best thing. it does cost around $500/mo least i checked and you can only download 500 leads per month but the data is rich and accurate and you can get super granular on what asset type you're looking for.

I realized that if I had kept more reserves and had less leverage and done a rental stress test on my properties, all of the properties I had that I bought at the top of the market in 2006, I would have been doing better right now.

@Sokhna Wade This is the deal analysis spreadsheet; I've tweaked it to make it work for me:https://bit.ly/3EAhMm8Complete all of the Purple Boxes with your property's data and it will crunch the numbers.

Generally, the Bigger Pockets calculator can serve as a starting point for all the data points and metrics you want to be familiar with. 

I'm also going through the unit to do any basic repairs and test the fire/smoke detectors too. 

You can find a deal with 10-15 mins a day of work... get up a little earlier than normal, have some coffee, check Zillow/Realtor/whatever you use for MLS searches and keep a spreadsheet with home data on it to monitor trends until you find something you want to make an offer on.

Turn off the TV and turn instead---to a very pro-Russian site from Bulgaria.....https://newrepublic.com/articl...And as for the "animal testing stopping because animals died",  that's BS too....https://www.reuters.com/articl...Landlord can do what he wants,  in Florida especially might cost him money.  

@Caroline Broderick I wouldn't limit where I look for properties based on whether or not the data will be reported to the CAD.