She is seeking assistance from the "Legal aid society" and presents me with a letter from a doctor that states the following:"Over the years, she (the tenant) has been somewhat depressed despite the medications I provide for her.

Given the incredibly low interest rates today and the depressed market values, today cash is KING.

Similarly, I could do more work to find more depressed properties for better deals with relation to FMV.

Are there any real estate investors out there that sold off their stocks and purchased real estate recently..taking advantage of the depressed real estate values?

With the shadow inventory and the pending foreclosures in progress - homes should be depressed for the next 4-5 years.

Yes, the market there is depressed but the cash flow is much better than SoCal.

Other than late 2008, when there was alot of concern among people I know, the Great Depression is below the radar.

I have really been depressed because the house is so close to ready other wise and the location of these noises I heard indicated I will have to tear out some sheet rock.

When you have POVERTY - you have unstable environment which leads to depression and crime.

Sharad it depends on the bank itself and what their books look like.In a depressed area already it doesn't make sense to do repairs as the property will be vandalized yet again and the bank will throwing money down and endless hole.If you have say one or two foreclosures on a street in a nice area then yes a bank might do repairs to sell to an owner occupant at a higher price.Depending on the age of the home you can't do just carpet and paint.The bank would need to replace all outdated fixtures,countertops,change layout problems,etc. to get full price.Paint and carpet will not get them close to full value as a buyer coming in will want everything done.It's like a flipped house that has been half way done.The buyer will deduct all the improvements they will have to make for it to work for them in the offer price.There are some banks letting the former homeowners rent in the property.It keeps the property occupied which gets rid of banks dumping for cheap.The bank hopes when they do sell in a few years the market has recovered.