My friend Rick over at Landlord Shmandlord made a great point the other day about doing due diligence on properties in other cities.  You need to figure out where the bulk of landlords advertise and where the tenants are looking.

It’s really important to size up your prospect pool, know what the locals use to find places to live, and use these publications to comp rental rates for units like yours.  This will help you use more accurate numbers when evaluating the property, and will help you reduce vacancy loss after you own it.  Check it out.