How to Find and Profit from Up-and-Coming Areas
by David Lindahl · Published by Wiley (2007)
When I was starting out, everyone told me to invest locally. Buy near where you live. Stick to what you know. That advice made sense for one reason: it was safe. Safe for the person giving it.
The problem was, I was buying in Brockton, Massachusetts. A blue-collar city with limited upside. I could buy and hold forever and do okay. But "okay" wasn't why I got into this.
So I developed a different approach. I started tracking emerging markets — cities and neighborhoods that were about to grow. Places where jobs were moving in, population was following, and prices hadn't caught up yet. The best time to buy anywhere is before everyone else knows it's the best time to buy.
This research process took me from one market to 27. From Brockton to investments across 18 states. Not because I was brave — because I learned to trust data over gut feeling. This book is that system, written out start to finish.
By the time a market is on the cover of the Wall Street Journal, you're already too late. Here's what I look at instead:
Who's hiring? Where are companies expanding? What's the trend line on unemployment? Job creation is the single best predictor of real estate appreciation.
Are people moving in or out? Why? What demographics are migrating? Population growth drives housing demand — simple math that most investors ignore.
When government money goes somewhere, private money follows. New highways, hospitals, transit lines — these signal where growth is headed.
Are developers building? That's a lagging indicator, but it confirms the thesis. Developers don't build where they don't see demand.
Real estate moves in cycles — typically 7–10 years. Understanding where each market sits in its cycle tells you whether to buy, hold, or sell.
How to research markets from your desk — no need to fly everywhere before you invest
The specific data sources David uses to track job growth, migration, and infrastructure
How to identify the "sweet spot" in any market's cycle for maximum buying opportunity
How to build a team in a new market — finding brokers, property managers, and contractors remotely
Why the best real estate investors invest out-of-state — and how to minimize the risk of doing it
Case studies from David's actual investments across 27 markets
"The emerging markets concept alone changed everything. I stopped looking in my own city and started looking at where the growth was going. My returns doubled."
— RE Mentor student
"David Lindahl is one of the most knowledgeable real estate investors I've ever met. This book shows exactly why."
— Industry reviewer
David Lindahl started investing in real estate in 1996 with no money, no experience, and a landscaping business that was barely paying the bills. He figured out the emerging markets approach early on — and it took him from one city to 27 markets across 18 states.
He's been involved in 550+ real estate transactions controlling more than $240 million in property. He founded RE Mentor in 2001, which became the #1 multifamily real estate education company in the U.S. Donald Trump personally selected him to write Trump University Commercial Real Estate 101.
He's been featured in Reader's Digest, Kiplinger Magazine, and AOL Real Estate. He's also an Iron Man triathlete.
More About David →Available in paperback, hardcover, Kindle, and audiobook.
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