Real Estate Data and Market Analysis Resources

[John D.]

What advice do you have on doing real estate market research? Where to find analysis/data and what tools are available. I want to research data on national home sales with the view of identifying how different regions are affected by market bubbles, property pricing ranges, and employment trends. And taxes. Almost forgot that little guy. My work moves me around the country so I will be an out of state investor. Therefore the broad search to pick an investment area. While writing this I am realizing that I need to consider tax and llc considerations between states also. I am guessing that I can find some of this info in census data. May be a real estate agent? Any recommendations on how to pick a state are welcome. I intend to buy and rent property.