Where the Wind Come Sweeping Down the Plain: A Quick Assessment of Real Estate in SW Oklahoma

Dear Everyone,

I'm still traveling and posting from the airport in Oklahoma City. It's going to be a long day of travel, so I'll have plenty of time to reflect on being the only daughter of aging parents. For those of you who have aging parents who do not live nearby, you might consider integrating them and their needs into your business plans.

With that said, the real estate portion of my brain had the opportunity to wander from time to time while in Oklahoma. While I drove through towns in the southwestern part of the state, I did a quick market analysis and looked for telltale signs of economic health or decline.

What I saw was a part of the country that is struggling to reassert itself. It's a part of the country that once relied heavily on agribusiness, but is now seeking out other industries for economic survival. I saw expanding medical complexes, several new gambling casinos and several new upscale housing developments--all signs, to me, of an economy in transition.

Market opportunities I observed rested with building or rehabbing mid-range homes. New upscale developments have been constructed only blocks away from aging, neglected neighborhoods. Those aging neighborhoods are a mix of rentals and owner-occupied homes, leaving plenty of room at the table for would-be rehabbers and landlords.

Elaine