Some people like the prospect of being local to their property portfolio but that is not everyone’s goal in real estate investing. The concept of diversification can very adequately apply to real estate as well. You can take advantage of a prospect like Roofstock where you can use their verified system of property portfolio options across the country to add resiliency to your portfolio. Home Union is another great platform available for you to consider some professionally vetted investment options to place in your portfolio.
However if you want to set up your portfolio locally, it is important to be purposeful about that process. Know the area you are looking to invest in from the common commute times, to flood zones, to location of grocery stores so you can get a good beat on your area and the demographic where your money will be operating. Many large urban areas can change quickly from block to block or borough to borough. Being familiar with these aspects can make your ability to judge the valuation of your investment a much easier prospect.
If you are new to the game of investing, looking through the financials worked up professionally on a platform like Roofstock and trying to gather similar comparable data points can allow you to hone your research and analytical skills against a set sample. Once you have the process down of researching properties in another locale down you can apply that method to your specific region you are choosing to invest.