It's all of Portland and even South Portland (not even stuff close to the water...)I know inventory is tight tight tight down there, and that price appreciation is strong right now, but these are asks that are implying you wouldn't even get your cash  back via NOI (assuming rent/expenses are steady state) for 20-30 years...I personally think we are closer to a downturn in terms of broader macroeconomic trends than we are to an upswing...not expecting anything dramatic but we've been going on nine years running at this point.

You may really like our radio show as Bruce often interviews different economists from national economists for broader trends to California economists.

What a self-directed IRA is, is simply an IRA that has broader investment choices. 

Allows me to see a lot of the shifts in the market as they happen as well as the broader investor mentality and capability.

Unless you're just wanting out of the broader stock market, rolling the former assets into your current employer's plan could be an option. 

The broader market of  U.S. single family homes escaped untouched, as the previous downturn in single families bottomed in the early 1990's and began a climb that soared through 2000 and finally ended in 2007. 

Cap Rate is a better metric for comparing the performance of different properties, or a single property to the broader market. 

While I am sure someone is making a killing on these right now, I don't have nearly the capital or market expertise necessary to invest in these.Why I tell you all this is because as @Michael Dumler said, there is potential for a condo to make you money, but the numbers have to make sense in addition to the broader context and your personal situation.

I'm having trouble focusing on a handful of key metrics that will help me narrow down my analysis to a few broader markets (city / state).

In my 401K account, I invest in broader markets because they are less reactionary and trend better over time.