Best markets for forward-thinking real estate investors

Depressed home prices. Ever-expanding pool of renters. Lethargic home sales.

These sound like reasons to be pessimistic about the housing market, but savvy investors are finding opportunity to snap up real estate while prices are at historic lows.  Inman News found 10 markets that are ripe for the taking after examining housing, demographic and economic data for hundreds of metropolitan areas.

The analysis considered markets with high affordability, low and dropping prices, a high market share of foreclosure sales, high population growth, an improving unemployment rate that is close to or better than the national average, high projected return on investment (ROI) over the next decade, and a low total cost of ownership-to-rent ratio.

The ten markets are:

1. Indianapolis-Carmel, Ind.
2. Winchester, Va-W.Va.
3. Gainesville, Fla.
4. Tucson, Ariz.
5. Tallahassee, Fla.
6. Hagerstown-Martinsburg, Md.-W.Va.
7. Salt Lake City, Utah
8. Richmond, Va.
9. Gainesville, Ga.
10. Winston-Salem, N.C.

For more information: www.inman.com/reports/10-markets-invest/index.html