Every year, millions of college students flood into college cities and towns in North Carolina. Those students, along with the faculty and staff at their schools, have one common need: housing. Consistent demand for housing makes college and university communities attractive to people interested in real estate investing.  Recently North Carolina area colleges have been included in the 2010 U.S. News & World Report list of the country’s best colleges.  Now seems to be the best time to invest in properties in college towns where housing demand is high due to a soaring rental market according to the New rules of real estate by Business 2.0 Magazine.  With home prices still out of home buyer’s range, and financing more and more difficult to find, rents are expected to increase nationwide. This makes buying investment property in rental markets such as college towns an attractive option, one that is already being pursued by investors. Rents are expected to rise by 5 % by the end of this year according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), and investors are looking at college towns with increased interest. Read the rest of this entry »