If there's a softening in the market and prices come down, you're not buying below market.

If we see a sharp increase in inventory this will be a good forward-looking indicator that prices may start to soften.

Is buying a water softener a good purchase for a future rental?

If it was a single family, I would probably think differently, but most landlords aren't savvy enough to think "gee my tenants are going to hate shoveling snow on gravel, so let me pay more for one that's already paved" or the impacts of finding a plow guy who will do a gravel driveway (some won't).Hard to say whether or not it's worth it without knowing the size of the areas you are paving, but if I could keep it under 5K, I'd probably do it on a profitable year to soften the hit of taxes.

@John Persons the way I see it, waiting until the market softens is not a great strategy, since the skill set required to be successful is similar in any market condition, and there really will never be market conditions that compensate for a lack of experience.

Box checked unknown, such as central heating, central AC, sump pump, fireplace, lawn sprinkler,  water softener, security system, central vacuum.  

underneath washing machine agitatorunder controls panel on same washersame as aboveinside fabric softener compartmentbehind water heater next to washerbehind washing machine cold water inlet pipe on water heatercatch all at bottom of dishwasherfloor has come up due to water damageNow a maintenance guy came out and told me the washer was just dirty and needed to be cleaned.

I expect the market will soften and more homes to come on the market as more people get vaccinated.

feels great but the worries never go away lol 2018 was a bad time to buy. 2019 price softened a little, but now the price is surging.

I am aware that some area condos rentals are softening but also watching if the rentals will spill over into condo sales.