What and where to research

Question

Hey BP,  I have been an investor for years, and have done some research, but have never really been confident that I am looking in the right places or at the right information.  My question for the BP members is this;  When you are doing your market research, what do you look for/at?  I guess I could extend the question.  If you could have all the market research given to you, what would you want to see in a research report?

I am in Canada, and if you can tell me some of the places you would look to find good research, that would be appreciated.  Some of the places I already use;  CMHC website, local economic development website, and local city/municipality websites.  What other sites would be helpful?

Thanks in advance,

Rob

Danielle Fattizzi · Answer

@Rob Dowsett I use best-cities.org and bestplaces.net for a lot of my market research. Also, if you have any interest in REI in college towns stateuniversity.com has tons of info on all the stats related to top growing universities (which means students who need housing!). Good luck!

Rob Dowsett · Answer

@Danielle Fattizzi,  I appreciate the input, and those look like great sites for US research.  Unfortunately, I cannot seem to find any Canadian information.  I do invest in a Canadian university town, and it is great for student housing.

Rob Dowsett · Answer

@Abhi Golhar, thanks for that.  It is actually MFR, and I assume the same would apply.  I work with 2-5 plexes.

thanks,

Abhi Golhar · Answer

@Rob Dowsett -

I'm assuming for a SFR flip/development play, here's what I would start looking at:

• Local developments underway and those slated to start in the future
• Jobs
• Supply/demand of SFR
• Velocity of SFR
• Comparables within 0.25 miles and within the last 30, 60, 90 days.

That should give you a good start.