I plan on attending some REA meetings this month and will try to find someone to explain why rentals are depressed in these cities, and what outlook is. reach out to me if you want to bounce any ideas off me, and good luck.

Populations are collapsing in many countries, and the average age is rising with yourh unemployment at Depression-era levels for youth in places like Greece and Spain.If buying in a popular vacation destination you should be good.  

Also the market for duplexes in Orlando appears pretty depressing online (odd construction in neighborhoods we don't want to be in, or super old houses with small square footage that somehow happen to be duplexes), so it would mean leaving a house and a neighborhood we like and moving someplace random (and far from our jobs) just to get the benefits of having a duplex... 

Preston is correct the long term average on the stock market is a little over 10%, even if you throw in the great depression, and the long amount of under performance in the 70's.  

@Rich Spiczka from what I've seen rural are so depressed in rural low end markets that there is not much upside in cash flow our appreciation.  

As soon as I feel depressed, upset or down, I immediately try to get out some paper and write down a list of things bothering or stopping me in life and I attack them immediately.

I think the area of PA the home is located is significantly depressed and can't see any future growth. 

I recognize this a economically depressed town.

We bought what would become our retirement house in 2011, in a depressed market.   

I have found the following:1) buy right in a reasonably stable area (for the area)2) I will only buy properties that can be nice...I am willing and want to do the value add but there are  lot of properties where you could "improve" but you still have a set of units that have a poor layout...since the traffic is not tremendous there you want to take the time to find the right tenant but if the apartment has a crappy layout (which many single converted to multi do) they will leave a year later for a better livable layoutI have found units that I could put in good shape with a layout that is actually a livable layout --  this is unique and sought after in areas which may otherwise be depressed.