My second spreadsheet is mostly pulled from census data/trulia/zillow (so I take the numbers with a grain of salt) but it lists on the X axis the zipcodes as well as the county as a whole.On the Y axis it lists: average listing price, median sale price (90 day period), median sale price versus last year, price per square foot, price per square foot versus last year, median rent per month, vacancy rate, annual property growth value, number of rentals on the market for that month, median rent versus last year, median rent divided by 1BD/2BD/3BD etc etc, median age, median household income, school districts, single residents, college educated percentage, percent home owners, population growth etc (there's more but I feel this is sufficient to get the point)3.)

I am mostly concerned about his ability to afford the rent with a wife who isn't working and 2 kids.

In this way investments are still being made that should help make returns over time and some equity growth.

I personally stay away from spots that have continual negative population growth (all of downriver). 

Locate your new investments growth is be ready to move wherever its in the right part of the real estate cycle.Wait until you are rich to buy a house and look at it like an investment. 

(population, growth, median income, average rents, employers in the area)

Are population growth and unemployment rate the main two or there is more information I need to do homework on before investing in another market?

Originally posted by @Dominique Mickles:@Omar Khan I have a great credit score but a part time jobAny lender will be looking at your ability to service the loan (i.e. payback the mortgage amount every month).

To me this means having a primary residence in the under $1mil range (but doesn't necessarily have to be under $500k).I will still have school aged children and need access to great schools, ideally public to avoid the cost of privateI would still value the ability to access metropolitan environments, though I don't need to live in the urban core. 

These are all things that should have not been missed.Now you say you can flip it for a 6 figure spread, I am a bit worried about your ability to do that if you are relying on your team telling you this.