According to Bankrate and Market Watch, the Sunbelt – specifically the Southeast – is the hottest region for real estate. West Coast and Rust Belt markets have grown cold due to massive price spikes and stagnant job growth, respectively. Meanwhile, 18 of the top 20 markets in the Bankrate Housing Heat Index are in the Sunbelt region.

Real estate investors deal with a lot of numbers and data. They just do! There are a million considerations when looking to purchase a new investment property, or even when assessing the financial condition of a current property. In our information age, where we have so much data at our fingertips, it’s a little too tempting to take data at face value.

5 Tips on Reading Real Estate Data the Right Way