We just closed on a condo in Saginaw and have seen inventory shrink considerably over the last 6-8 months (started investing in late 2012).

Now there are less than 700,000 and shrinking every day.

As home ownership declines and MBS/CMO product shrinks, I think you'll see a significant increase in the SFR rental securitization market.  

@Jesse Hodges Like many older, rustbelt cities, Scranton has high municipal pension, infrastructure maintenance, and other obligations with a shrinking tax base (and a higher than average level of corruption).

That's what Cali is - a two tiered society with a small and shrinking affluent upper middle-class having to shoulder the burden of a high-tax welfare state, and a massive and growing underclass.So they kept a few designers but moved all the back-office work, the kinds of jobs that can sustain middle-class families to Dallas.

So the disparity between home price and rents grow, not shrink as you are optimistic about here in your post, as markets face appreciation.I do agree with you that I would never invest in a property in which I didn't expect both appreciation and cash flow. 

I found the constantly shrinking more and more office to cube to open work space plans to be devastating to those needs.In the commercial space, we are going to see more and more businesses call it quits. 

It might be wise to double check BPO.7 fastest shrinking cities - Joplin, Mo. 1-year population change: -1.3% Change from 2000 to 2010: 12.3% Typically, populations decline gradually.

I talked to an energy auditor and he said he has seen this before and thought that it could come from the wood drying and shrinking a bit and causing voids in the thermal envelope.

To say the least London will always be a special to me.Asheville is a great place to live and now with the world shrinking through technology, I am still connected to the world.