The Data-Backed Compass to assist land investors with Market Selection
Let's Talk Market Selection
The Problem likely isn't your Your Marketing -
It's your Market!
Most land investors pick markets based on gut feeling, YouTube clips, or podcast chatter — not data.
They chase “hot” areas, waste money mailing the wrong counties, and lose momentum when deals don’t come in.
The problem isn’t your marketing — it’s your market.
Don’t Let Someone Else’s Bias Be Your Broken Compass
"That's a Bad State": This usually comes from investors or educators who only ever played in one lane — cheap rural land. They wrote off entire states because their low-dollar or remote parcels didn’t move, never realizing that infill lots and higher-value land tell a completely different story.
"That State is Saturated": It’s only saturated in their sandbox. Investors fighting over $5K–$25K rural parcels call it crowded, but that’s just the bottom rung. Step into the $50K–$250K range and the noise disappears — it’s a blue ocean of opportunity with real margins.
"Here's a list of 'Secret Counties'"; There’s nothing secret about a list that’s been handed to every student for over 15 years. These recycled lists have been mailed to death and still get sold as insider intel. Market Boss replaces those outdated “secrets” with fresh, data-driven approach to selecting a market.
"Don't Market there, I had a bad campaign": One bad campaign doesn’t make a bad market. It usually means bad data, bad pricing, or bad timing. Most investors blame the county when they should be blaming the campaign.
THE SOLUTION
Market Boss
The top states, metros, and secondary cities ranked using Travis’ blended weighting system — factoring migration, job growth, weather, and projected appreciation — so you know exactly where to focus your marketing efforts.
State Rankings
STATE RANKINGS
BY STATE
RANK & STATE
REGION
1
North Carolina
South
2
Florida
South
3
South Carolina
South
4
Texas
South
5
Arizona
West
6
Utah
West
7
Tennessee
South
8
Idaho
West
9
Oklahoma
South
10
Arkansas
South
11
Mississippi
South
12
Kentucky
South
13
New Mexico
West
14
Alabama
South
15
Georgia
South
16
Missouri
Midwest
17
Virginia
South
18
Indiana
Midwest
19
Hawaii
West
20
Alaska
West
21
Ohio
Midwest
22
South Dakota
Midwest
23
Delaware
South
24
Washington
West
25
Wyoming
West
26
Nevada
West
27
Louisiana
South
28
Oregon
West
29
Michigan
Midwest
30
Montana
West
31
West Virginia
South
32
Pennsylvania
Northeast
33
Minnesota
Midwest
34
Wisconsin
Midwest
35
New Hampshire
Northeast
36
Nebraska
Midwest
37
Kansas
Midwest
38
Colorado
West
39
North Dakota
Midwest
40
California
West
41
Maine
Northeast
42
Iowa
Midwest
43
Connecticut
Northeast
44
Maryland
South
45
Vermont
Northeast
46
New York
Northeast
47
Rhode Island
Northeast
48
Illinois
Midwest
49
New Jersey
Northeast
50
Massachusetts
Northeast
Top Metros
TOP METROS
OVERALL RANK & CITY
STATE
REGION
1
Lakeland, FL
Florida
South
2
Jacksonville, FL
Florida
South
3
Palm Bay, FL
Florida
South
4
Fort Myers, FL
Florida
South
5
Daytona Beach, FL
Florida
South
6
Tampa, FL
Florida
South
7
Sarasota, FL
Florida
South
8
Austin–Round Rock–Georgetown
Texas
South
9
Raleigh–Cary
North Carolina
South
10
Salt Lake City
Utah
West
11
Phoenix–Mesa–Chandler
Arizona
West
12
Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater
Florida
South
13
Jacksonville
Florida
South
14
Charlotte, NC
North Carolina
South
15
Nashville–Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin
Tennessee
South
16
Greenville, SC
South Carolina
South
17
Charleston, SC
South Carolina
South
18
Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington
Texas
South
19
Raleigh, NC
North Carolina
South
20
Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford
Florida
South
21
Charlotte–Concord–Gastonia
North Carolina
South
22
Wilmington, NC
North Carolina
South
23
Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Alpharetta
Georgia
South
24
Denver–Aurora–Lakewood
Colorado
West
25
Las Vegas–Henderson–Paradise
Nevada
West
26
San Antonio–New Braunfels
Texas
South
27
Austin, TX
Texas
South
28
Phoenix, AZ
Arizona
West
29
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma
South
30
Dallas, TX
Texas
South
31
Boise City
Idaho
West
32
Columbus
Ohio
Midwest
33
Brownsville & McAllen, TX
Texas
South
34
Greenville–Anderson
South Carolina
South
35
Houston, TX
Texas
South
36
Provo–Orem
Utah
West
37
Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land
Texas
South
38
Charleston–North Charleston
South Carolina
South
39
Tyler, TX
Texas
South
40
Des Moines–West Des Moines
Iowa
Midwest
41
Indianapolis–Carmel–Anderson
Indiana
Midwest
42
Spokane–Spokane Valley
Washington
West
43
Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers
Arkansas
South
44
Nashville, TN
Tennessee
South
45
Springdale, AR
Arkansas
South
46
Boise, ID
Idaho
West
47
Richmond, VA
Virginia
South
48
Bend, OR
Oregon
West
49
Spokane, WA
Washington
West
50
Indianapolis, IN
Indiana
Midwest
Top Secondary Cities
CITY RANKINGS
SECONDARY MARKETS
RANK & CITY
STATE
REGION
1
Ocala, FL
Florida
South
2
Kissimmee, FL
Florida
South
3
Fredericksburg, VA
Virginia
South
4
Myrtle Beach, SC
South Carolina
South
5
Lorton, VA
Virginia
South
6
College Station, TX
Texas
South
7
Knoxville, TN
Tennessee
South
8
Spartanburg, SC
South Carolina
South
9
Johnson City, TN
Tennessee
South
10
Huntsville, AL
Alabama
South
11
Clermont, FL
Florida
South
12
Foley, AL
Alabama
South
13
Port St. Lucie, FL
Florida
South
14
Auburn, AL
Alabama
South
15
Cookeville, TN
Tennessee
South
16
Tukwila, WA
Washington
West
17
Panama City, FL
Florida
South
18
Tacoma, WA
Washington
West
19
Iowa City, IA
Iowa
Midwest
20
Madison, WI
Wisconsin
Midwest
21
Vancouver, WA
Washington
West
22
Kingman, AZ
Arizona
West
23
Missoula, MT
Montana
West
24
Concord, NH
New Hampshire
Northeast
25
Corvallis, OR
Oregon
West