We had a similar come-to-Jesus moment in spring 2016 and realized the same thing (even more motivation - my line of work doesn't even boast a steady W-2). 

Whereas banks tend to be ultra-conservative when it comes to the value of a property.

I noticed that remodeled homes and rentals are boasting nice earth tone interior paint schemes these days.

Both products boast similar target returns, and public REITs have things going for them, such as: A track record of double digit percentage annual returns; Dividends that have increased over time; and Liquidity.With that said, when it comes to deciding between a publicly traded REIT and a private equity real estate fund to invest in, you should choose both.They are different types of investments and both have their place in a diversified portfolio.

@Thomas Hickey markets are very tight right now and folks are being ultra competitive.

@Steve Babiak I didn't want to boast!

I know the ladies in Norfolk are ultra experienced and know what you can and can’t do.

As for why the vendor is not proceeding - I am not certain, but I think he was looking to make the apartments ultra high end, which is very speculative in this area.

Remember you as the owner want ultra security and the tenant is trying to do the opposite.

The Mercury News names Stockton as former "most miserable city", now benefiting from the ultra-tight Bay Area housing demand.Of the country’s 100 largest metropolitan areas, these saw the biggest increases in home prices over the past five years: Stockton/Lodi — 91.94 percentOakland/Hayward/Berkeley — 85.71 percentLas Vegas/Henderson/Paradise — 85.21 percentSan Francisco/Redwood City/South San Francisco — 77.07 percentSeattle/Bellevue/Everett — 74.66 percentSacramento/Roseville/Arden/Arcade — 74.03 percentNorth Port/Sarasota/Bradenton, Florida — 72.5 percentRiverside/San Bernardino/Ontario — 70.82 percentCape Coral/Fort Myers, Florida — 70.1 percentWest Palm Beach/Boca Raton/Delray Beach, Florida — 69.19 percentSome markets appreciate because of good reasons like job growth and supply shortages.