I have a coworker who has bought two investment properties he found on craigslist and swears there are deals to be had, although he buys in more depressed areas that I personally would be very reluctant to get into.Don't know anyone who's used an ebay auction though.

The national forest lands in SC were gathered up post Great Depression during the CCC days.

My most enjoyable experience was buying a house completely remodeling it and then selling it after barely living there for about two years for a profit in a depressed market.

I live in an economically depressed area where even the good rentals don't go for lots of money.

But in L.A. where rent control depresses rents, you can get properties to cash flow great if you have the cash up front to pay the tenants the relocation, which can range from around $7,800 to as high as $30K+ per unit, depending on whether the tenants are "qualified" or "eligible", and whether they know how much their unit would be worth vacant.

That Mess" was a good 15-20,000 bucks worth of scrap metal even in today's depressed scrap market.Some people,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Over the long term substantial equity growth can be built up.High cash flow areas tend to be depressed areas with tenants that have life issues.

For this reason, I have set my sights on multi family and storage facilities - as when there are market corrections, people tend to downsize their living quarters and relocate to Apartments, and have an abundance of excess "stuff" that can't be sold as quickly in a depressed market.

Very depressed area with negative population growth and median income way below the national average.D area at best.Not a fan.I think you would be better to wait for property in a nicer area that needs rehab and improve the value that way for a good rental.Problem is 3 to 4 years ago you could buy for those prices in nice areas but today what is priced in that range is in rougher areas I wouldn't touch.

Gary is an economically depressed market.