New investor and new to the community

[Chris Markham]

Hello, Introducing myself here as I am brand new to the Bigger Pockets community. I've been listening to the podcast and reading all the books on real estate investing for years. With several other active businesses, I haven't had the time to jump into real estate investing, but my wife and I finally made the leap and purchased our first 2 investments in single-family homes this year. We are looking to meet people with expertise that can help us grow our business and gain insights into real estate investing. Also, happy to help in any way that we can especially with those in our local market, Reno, NV. Looking forward to diving into the rest of the content here.

[Alfath Ahmed]

Quote from @Chris Markham:

Hello, Introducing myself here as I am brand new to the Bigger Pockets community. I've been listening to the podcast and reading all the books on real estate investing for years. With several other active businesses, I haven't had the time to jump into real estate investing, but my wife and I finally made the leap and purchased our first 2 investments in single-family homes this year. We are looking to meet people with expertise that can help us grow our business and gain insights into real estate investing. Also, happy to help in any way that we can especially with those in our local market, Reno, NV. Looking forward to diving into the rest of the content here.

 Hey Chris, my partner is actually based out of Reno, NV. We invest heavily invest in the Columbus market. I also work with out-of-state investors from both the east and west coast who love investing here. I specialize in both residential and multi-family real estate in the Columbus market. Below is a list of metrics that my out-of-state investors have looked into when choosing to invest here in the Columbus market.

Population Growth: Target cities with a minimum 1.5% YoY growth over the past 20 years and populations exceeding 100,000. (Use tools like loopnet, Costar demographics, and crime maps. Check with local governments for their economic plans.)

Job Growth: Prioritize areas with a minimum of 2% employment growth YoY for the past two decades. (Investigate the presence of Fortune 100 companies and industry diversity, using resources like metropolitan council reports and broker websites (e.g., CBRE, Colliers).)

Affordability: Ensure household income has grown at least 1% YoY for the past 20 years. Be wary if rents exceed 1/3 of average incomes.

Absorption/Vacancy: Consult National Association of Realtors for market time and inventory insights. Evaluate historical and current vacancy rates, aiming for decreasing trends.

Demographics: For younger populations, focus on proximity to parks and schools. For older demographics, consider the availability of medical centers, entertainment, and restaurants.

Buildings/Permits: Assess the city's growth compared to previous years.Determine if the city can accommodate future supply.

Government Regulations: Examine the city's efforts and the type of businesses they are targeting. Be cautious of cities that aren't proactive in job attraction; too much growth can lead to strict building regulations, affecting housing value.

Other Factors

- Favor cities with a crime index that has consistently decreased over a decade.

- For appreciation, I look for a minimum of 2.5% YoY growth in median house values over the past 20 years but I don't use this explicitly in calculations.