Future expectations are largely considered in current prices. Some of this will depend on your time horizon. Let’s consider 5+ decades. 1. Look for areas tha

Future expectations are largely considered in current prices. Some of this will depend on your time horizon. Let’s consider 5+ decades. 1. Look for areas that have a long history of growth. You don’t want to invest in a fad. 2. Look for areas that aren’t too rural. Many of the most rural areas are actually losing population as people leave services like grocery stories and doctors leave and thus drive out more people. Look at rural Kansas as an example of this, places 100 miles away from a city had a population peak with the baby boomers. 3. Look for a diverse local economy. Oil/Factory/Company towns exist and they tend to disappear when fortunes change for the host. You need more than remote workers to run a local economy. 4. Consider climate change. Almost everywhere in the US will be effected for the worst, but Miami is probably more risky than Nashville. 5. Do your homework and invest in what you know. I’ve picked the locations of my property very carefully. I usually can find deals when the market undervalues one particular property short term for various things reasons. Maybe I’m the first solid offer to a motivated seller (this may become more common again soon). Maybe it’s a home that needs some renovations. Maybe it’s in a neighborhood whose gentrification isn’t widely recognized yet. My niche is residential realestate in a single mid-sized metropolitan area. About 50% of my investment portfolio is real estate. I actively manage these properties, while working full time as an engineer.