Researching Rental Prospects for specific areas?

Question

I may not know how to word this correctly, but does anyone know of an easy way to research the rental prospects for a certain area (ie: how much places go for, how quickly and consistently they are occupied, quality of renters, etc). Is this just something that can only be found by networking and stalking renter sites or is there an easier way to get some of this info? I am looking at Pinellas and possibly Pasco counties in Florida. Most likely cities of Palm Harbor, Safety Harbor, Clearwater, Dunedin.

David Dec · Answer

Holiday and Hudson are good areas for very reasonably priced SFR's

Adam Ulery · Answer

Welcome Holly! I live in Safety Harbor and am also a new investor doing this same type of research. The sites mentioned above are good sources, as well as Redfin and Zillow. I've found that Safety Harbor has low rents compared to the purchase prices, but Dunedin seems promising. Also, St. Pete is an area I'm looking in. I'm always looking for investors to network with - feel free to PM me if you'd like to share/exchange knowledge about rental opportunities in this area.

Jason Parrish · Answer

Hi Holly,

I use a few websites for this type of research.

Rentometer. It will give you a very good idea of what rentals in a specific area are going for.

Craigslist. See what's out there. There's another more creative use is to call the property owners and ask them a few questions. How long has it been available? What do you need to move in?

You can get a great idea of the area by talking to landlords and getting an idea of their experience. I can tell you downtown Dunedin is getting top dollar for rentals. 1400 per month for a sfh is quite possible.

Philippe Eversdijk · Answer

rentometer.com is another source I use to gage certain neighborhoods/areas.

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