http://twincities.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2009/08/31/daily39.html?s=industry&i=commercial_real_estate

Before we get all giddy about the market, we better prepare for more bank failures and another scar...

Not a fan of Chase though and since they merged they aren't the same to deal with.FIRST HORIZON-once assigned they are fine but that part takes usually 30-45daysLenders I just refuse to work with:COUNTRYWIDE/BofA-waste of timeFIFTH THIRD-brain damageOcwen- done some deals with them but am forced to talk with someone from the Caribbean every time I callCHASE-Hate'em but am trying them again since they merged and heard they use Fidelity Information Service now.Not too terrible but not my favorite:SuntrustSaxonINGCIti MortCiti ResUS BankBankUnitedWAMUNational CityPLease share your good and bad experiences.

I also believe that giving the employment situation here in Cali, more foreclosures are on the horizon unfortunately.

Recently in our area, reality seems to have finally sunk in.The economic realities have begun to cause rental owners to really react and aggressively cut prices on their units.No new jobs, layoffs, less income, people leaving the area.Both SFR and multi-family are affected and those with no mortgage or lower runtime cost structures have more flexibility with their pricing and are able to find tenants, though no where near the quality of yesteryear.Previous to this year, rents had remained fairly stable maybe down 5-10% but nothing compared to the 20% we are beginning to see now as desperate owners are realizing that they may lose their investments if they do not find tenants.The lower quality tenants actually have their pick of units now versus unable to find anything.As far as investing in new properties, it is a dangerous game if not backed by cash reserves, today's "low-money-down" owner is tomorrow's foreclosure.We see nothing on the horizon to change this pattern, rents will seemingly continue to drop and day-to-day management will continue to take more time and effort due to the lower quality.

While we're always looking for other "mom and pop" investors to interview for that series (PM me if you're interested), we're also looking for folks who are the "stars" as you put it, to expand our horizons.

I have been researching Self Storage Investments for the last 10 months and would like to find like minded people that are ready to share, invest, and make a good income.I have other passions for making my five streams of income and those will be on the horizon when the ball gets rolling.

There could be something on the horizon.

Do you see a national RE cooldown/plateau/downturn on the horizon (next 12-24 months)?

If you're going by what one person/company has talked to you about then you should broaden your horizons quite a bit before doing a deal.

This is to hopefully occur over a maximum 2 year horizon.