Where Are Your Tenants? Is This Where Your Property Is?

By sonoran • April 27th, 2009

Investing in real estate is a business and as with any business you would carefully do research on where you customers are and how to reach them.  It’s no different in real estate.

Certain parts of the valley tend to be better for investment then others.  No matter how inexpensive some property may be if there is no rental market it’s not a good investment period.  You can hope to leave that property vacant and maybe it will go up in price but that is not a sound investment strategy, though, many people did that.

So where are the renters?  They are where most people want to live: near jobs, good transportation, schools, shopping and some entertainment: these are popular places where homes don’t sit vacant, where they don’t deteriorate nor are decimated by un-use (home that just sit around, not used tend to deteriorate).

Where to invest?  This is a more difficult question.  Rental rates don’t increase proportionately to prices.  A 1,500sf home in Avaondale can lease for $1,000 and cost $125,000 but a $350,000 Central Phoenix will only lease for $1,800 on average.

There is more to consider, of course.  What are you going for, appreciation, cash flow or a combination.  What ever I say now is subject to change based on market conditions.

Homes in Avondale, parts of Goodyear, Litchefield Park, Surprise are well priced, still and the rental markets are fairly good.  These are areas where you can purchase income homes and rent then out for near a 1% per month return in gross rents: $100,000 leased for $1,000 per month is 1%.  That’s a good goal to have.

You won’t get this in Central Phoenix but it does not mean it’s not a good investment.  We’ll selected properties will provide a good return for many other reason then simple rent cash flow: these could be the reuse of land for better purposes, an increasing population or even a changing population.

If you buy a home for $50,000 in rural Phoenix, it can be large, newer and fairly nice.  There are places like Buckeye or Queen Creek or Arizona City where inexpensive homes are abound.  There is a reason they are this low in price.  They could be good purchases if you live there, but tread carefully if you’re investing for rentals in those areas

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