What makes a good buy & hold city?

[Mason V.]

I am currently researching cities in Oregon and Washington. My primary strategy will be buy and hold, as a 14on/3off truck driver rehabbing would be difficult. In order to pursue this I am looking for cities with growing populations over 10k, with an average age below 40, stable long term employers and an average household income of under $50k. What am I missing and are any of these wrong?

I know the population cut off is generally 50k, but Oregon doesn’t have a whole lot of those. By 40 I presume people will be tired of renting and finally want to purchase their own home. With employment I can’t have a whole lot of instability. Finally, I can’t imagine too many people making over $50k and not owning their own home.

[Peter Chan]

Hi @Mason V. 

Welcome to BP! 

With regard to your $50k income restriction, do not automatically assume that if household income is over $50k they will buy a home. 

Home ownership is a long term commitment that many people are not willing to make. Plenty of households making over $50k a year choose to rent because they prefer the flexibility of renting. 

In fact, this may be the demographic that you want to target because these people will have more income and may be willing to pay a little more for higher-quality accommodations.