I haven't looked for properties at the start of summer before so I'm wondering if this is a seasonal trend or if the market is just going to become extremely difficult to find those gems.  

Whether this trend continues, as rents get even higher in Durham, I am not so sure about.

Hey Account Closed,Looks like you and your husband are off to a good start because Houston is one of the hottest markets in the country right now, and you're already building a process for finding deals there. 

Also, networking with nearby investors https://www.biggerpockets.com/meet can help a lot as they can tell you more about the investing trend in your area. 

I'm doing mortgages in the hottest market in the country and I write up FHA loans not infrequently.

With the introduction of the 30 year bond, and talks of introducing a 50 year bond, it doesn't look like we're even trending in the direction of higher rates. 

Population, population growth, ease of access, resources available, population growth, unemployment, unemployment trend, job growth, job diversity, supply vs demand, median income, education level, local economic development, landlord/tenant laws, etc.And then a lot of that should not only be applied to the whole market but also the submarket/neighborhood you're looking at too.Investing anywhere is a risk vs reward, so is the return worth the risk it provides.

@David PaezHey David,You are definitely honing in on the hottest areas in FL!

My wife and I trend toward the asset-rich but income-poor side of the spectrum so I'm trying to completely understand our ability to borrow in the future to upgrade to a slightly newer/larger primary residence, as well as for future mortgages on investment properties. 

<-- I see this happening a lot bc of the trend.