remember the words last recession were voiced " mortgage backed securities that were sexily sold to european countries.....now imagine this is my speculative mind at work but given the fact large hedge funds bought massive homes for a reason. well imagine a repeat in the rental market if this occurs and we know eventually it is a matter of when will they dump their portfoliosBP can help with the tremedous information they provide here and on podcasts 

Out of curiosity, where are your European properties?  

I built one in Palo Alto in 1988.. for instance.It was modular built very high end built in a factory in Lincoln CA.. with all European parts ... it was freaking awesome nothing could touch it.

After World War I, America required that European debtors pay their debts in gold.

I'm not familiar at all with European markets but I wish you luck in all your endeavors.

Paul,That also occurs in France (Paris), and other European countries, where the families pay an annual maintenance (COA fees ?)

I can suggest a few European platforms if you like.Generally, European property crisis means great investment opportunities, but you definitely need to take some time and research the possibilities.

I think the trend will swing back from renting and group psychology about "rising real estate values" will kick in just as it did 10-15 years ago.Yes I think we should keep buying to get more pieces on the board (boats in the water to rise), but completely disregard any potential appreciation both in terms of our return calculations and psychologically (in other words, don't get caught up in the coming "real estate boom" psychology and buy marginal properties or cash flow negative properties expecting appreciation).That may mean doing fewer deals but it's a price I'm personally willing to pay.There are also some broader economic issues which could throw in some systemic risk and gum up the works, such as Russia-Ukraine, the Chinese economy, the European economy (and some of its weaker members like Greece), etc.So in my mind I think there are three possible scenarios: 1) 1/3 likely to have steady good growth in RE values (scenario of U.S. economy continuing to do reasonably well but little/tepid real wage growth), 2) 1/3 likely to have another boom (scenario of U.S. economy doing very well and finally having real wage growth for the first time in a long time), and 3) 1/3 likely to have the train get derailed by external factors such as the world economy, some kind of war, etc.In all of those scenarios it seems to me that good, cash flowing properties will be good to have.

However, i would say my best quality is my drive and attention to detail.Some of my passions include ice hockey, fitness, European cars (Audi/VW), and music.  

Terrific summary @Bradley BogdanAs a European, it´s very gratifying to read a post from an American who has a calm and knowledgeable understanding of the situation and doesn´t pivot straight to the "America is in even bigger trouble" argument.