The 100 Best Places to Invest in Rental Properties

Here's an article from the Wall Street Journal's MarketWatch -
The 100 Best Places to Invest in Rental Properties:

On a list of the best 100 markets to invest in rental properties, California is tops.

The state had 12 markets on the HomeVestors of America and Local Market Monitor first-quarter list of best places for investors interested in buying rentals. Florida had nine markets on the list; Texas had seven markets on the list, according to a news release.

In the short term, areas where prices are close to a bottom and the local economy is growing could be wise places to invest, said David Hicks, co-president of HomeVestors. Areas that are good candidates for investing in now include Tampa, Daytona Beach and Fort Myers in Florida, as well as Phoenix and Bakersfield, Calif., he said.

“Wait until next year for Las Vegas and Reno, where home prices are still falling sharply,” said Ingo Winzer, president and founder of Local Market Monitor, in the release. See full list here.

Read more real-estate news in this week’s pages, including why it’s getting harder for non-investors to buy foreclosures and a Realty Q&A about getting prepared for the eviction process when your home is in foreclosure.

With home prices falling now but certain to rise in the future, and the cost of renting a home going up, investors are seeing opportunities in many markets throughout the country.

“We think this is the best opportunity for investors to accumulate rentals in the past 30 years,” Hicks said.

— Amy Hoak , Real Estate writer