Building permit applications, zoning changes, unemployment rate, proximity to centers of employment, transportation bond applications, news reports about major employers targeting a market are all places you can look for growth indicators. 

@Paul Enzinger I only have paper assets other than my house, but i totally agree with you that is why im trying to work my way into the physical asset class. have friends that do it and its been working out very well for them.this is all great feed back and i appreciate everyone's time.

Happy to answer any questions you have on the area, I agree it's a somewhat hidden gem given proximity to the city and overall quality of life.

Hello Gordon,I'm not sure what market you're in but in NY, we typically conduct the home inspection AFTER and accepted offer and BEFORE a formal sales contract is signed.This way, you have a chance to do your due diligence on the physical property before putting down a deposit and entering a legally binding contract.Best of luck to you moving forward!

He told us that after you have installed the physical mailbox you just need to go to the post office and ask them to setup a unit B mailbox for you existing address.

- Don't make an offer until you've physically seen at least 25 properties so you have an idea of actually what each price point looks like in person.- Don't let anyone tell you to buy your first investment property in an area that you can't drive to in 15 minutes.- Don't spend money on mentoring.

@Yazan DabbaghThis one can be tough because it’s really so market dependent.But a few things to consider are:Employment growth in proximity to the surrounding area.

I'm a new investor, and I've been doing the addicting legwork of analyzing and then physically seeing houses almost every weekend over the past month.I work in construction as my day job, I'm a Project Manager working exclusively in natural disaster rebuilding.

I'm a physical therapist so I don't have all day to search for off market properties, though I have tossed around the idea of becoming an agent.

What use is legally permissible, physically possible, financially feasible, and maximally productive.