What @Matthew Irish-Jones said^^^^ Never wait around for the market.

Big challenges were cultural.

I'm very passionate about cultural transformation, social justice, great movies, etc. 

We're home to a diverse population (culturally, financially) and we don't want our neighbors priced out because you out of state developers want to make a quick buck.

So I spent my time not only discovering the neighborhoods with my developers but also networking and socializing so that I could get acclimated with the local culture.

The street behind me is a bit rough but my neighborhood is pretty walkable (a lot of older people take walks, people walking their dogs, people walk/jog, multi cultured) And I don’t think any of the duplexes have granite....

It has such a great track record to date doing that, after all.And Greece should have its debt forgiven by Germany because it's the right thing to do after ten years of forced austerity driving the suicide rate up, sending a whole generation to work abroad, destroying the very fabric of Greek culture!

So take a look at Craigslist to evaluate rents and then look at homes or multi-family to see if it will cash flow (in the future) and then look at buying in that area.I like Vancouver because to me has a more rural feel, population is less dense, and some would argue has "less culture", but I don't care about "culture".Investing in real estate is still investing.

Some of these cities I've been to maybe once or a few times, but I am unfamiliar with the intricate dynamics (crime, house hold incomes, neighborhood culture and trends). 

I am in Boulder Colorado and looking to have some flooring replaced with engineered wood (about 1250 sqft plus some stairs) and also need some “stone” work done around a fireplace to replace surrounding tile with cultured stone.