Don't get me wrong, I think there's a small chance that the government doesn't pull its head out of its arse and the system as we know it collapses.

He also breaks down the housing market collapse very simply and in an easy to follow kind of way.

Both purchased pre RE collapse as pre-construction with 100% financing (irrelevant)...I see a large disparity with the prices of certain homes Im looking at, and the potential Section 8 Income.

Just based on what you said I would sell now and cash the equity out at the peak of the market.Then take the cash and invest elsewhere where you can stretch that currency to get the most bang for the buck.This would be better than treading water.You might have NOI now but if the market collapses and other owners are having a hard time meeting debt service rents will fall fast and there goes most of your NOI.Some people say people get LUCKY when they sell.For astute investors it is not about being lucky but analyzing the market for cycles.EVERYTHING CYCLES.The only question is how long each cycle will last before changing.For that you look at a bunch of metrics to make the best educated guess.

They won't likely do it, but this puts them on notice that it needs it and their price is laughable. 2) Nobody will buy it at that price and condition so wait until the building collapses and then offer to buy it.

They had a collapsed retaining wall on their property, as well as various drainage issues.

Maybe cracked, or sections of plaster & lath collapsed, or water damaged - but whatever that is, you will have to look first and fix it before putting in the new drywall ceiling.

When the market collapsed, we moved from an area where we had lived most of our lives, in northern California, to Orange County, CA, which we knew nothing about!

Then if all goes good and QE3 causes house prices to rise, maybe you can cash out (before the collapse) and do bigger things.

Granted this is just my opinion, but it is based on 28 years of experience (including the '80s collapse of the TX market) and some careful looking.I've noticed more For Sale signs in Austin and San Antonio lately, including too many on NEWER houses in NEWER neighborhoods.