Buy to rent? (Charlotte, Norman: real estate, foreclosure, rental)

[tryagain]

I'm new to this - and to Charlotte. My husband and I are moving from the cold North East, but we also like to travel a lot. We hope to buy a condo in Charlotte (or in the area) that we can rent out for months, possible years, while we get the wanderlust out of our blood and before we settle down for the golden years. I was looking up info on crime in Charlotte and hoping to get a sense of the 'better' areas to look at real estate in. But after reading about the crime stats, now I'm wondering if Charlotte is the right place to do this (buy to rent). ALL answers will be helpful, folks, Tell me what you think. Thanks -

[businessperson]

You just need to be selective with the area you choose. There are websites available that denote crime stats on charmeck.org. Moderator cut: soliciting business

[Ron49er]

I agree with Business Person. Selective is the keyword. You have to research the crime stats, but then also talk to people about their perception of where they "feel safe". I live in Lake Norman (North of Charlotte, but in Mecklenburg County) and I know that it is a high income, high property value area. There are very few "sketchy" neighborhoods. However, East Charlotte could be viewed on the opposite end of that spectrum. Skip Eastland Mall on your visit. South Charlotte has some very nice and established neighborhoods. West Charlotte is 50/50 in my view. In West Charlotte, there are alot of newer neighborhoods with "cheap" housing and high foreclosure rates. These are not desirable characteristics either. This is all my opinion. Overall, I think Charlotte is average on crime.

[SuperchargedSS]

if you need help with rental solutions, let me know, I can help.