Later i found out why the cats were there...the local feral cat society set up shop behind the shopping center creating a make shift habitat for these feral cats, and would even come by and feed them on a very regular basis. 

Your state or city real estate planning committee (each state has a different name like planning and urban development or planning and economic development or city planning commission) has meetings that are free and open to the public. 

Dear @Amit Urban,So if indeed we are at a slowdown in Bay Area real estate, would it be better to buy now or wait six months?

You have joined the society where you don't have to pay for an education, help, advice, or support.  

A strategic defaulter would be turned down and depending on the state, would be pursued for the deficiency where the only probable outcome for the borrower would be bankruptcy.As Brett points out, a shortpayoff to yourself is more urban legend than reality.

If you are urban core then you usually can sell the land for a lot more per acre as they can build up for larger projects.     

"Profit" is becoming a bad word in our society; and there are people in every industry / field that give others a bad name... 

I like the KC housing stock I would look out of the urban core and try to find some of those nice ranchers in the suburbs

. - City sewer - City water - I've got a written note from urban housing and development saying that I'm in compliance & would be grandfathered in.Is this a good deal?

Menace to society that guy...Trust me, there are worst things out there.