Families not downsizing as their families shrink, illegally subletted apartments removing units from the markets for decades as opposed to average move times creates housing shortages.

Honestly, you cannot shrink your way to wealth.What you have an income problem, not a saving problem.

Your business will grow while the slumier slum lord's business will shrink.

Thus, shrinking your resale margin to where it makes no financial sense in terms of risk/return.

Throughout the Rust Belt but especially in a place like Pittsburgh, where the housing stock is more often than not seventy, eighty, ninety years old, where the population continues to shrink and the price of getting things fixed continues to rise, the self-managing buy-and-hold model is next to impossible to get off the ground without significant handyman skills.2.

They wash up great, don't pill or shrink and are a nice size.

Clays shrink and swell depending on their moisture content/plasticity and you don't want your foundations to do the same.

I won't get on my spill about the shrinking middle class, but this is something I'm passionate about and would like to earn money.    

The type of tenant you deal with will make all the difference.Realize you will have some out of pocket expenses from time to time but if you self manage it might be ok.As time goes on rents should increase and your payment will shrink proportionately.

is the opportunity, on average, is shrinking (a.k.a. buy now) or expanding (wait a bit)?