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. 

If you want to invest in small town New Zealand your primary driver needs to be employment and population growth.

This ability is not capped by income.  

I have heard so many times that the owner and broker discuss the ability of the buyer to close quite a bit.