Crystal Smith That's too light for 8-10 projects.

I think Crystal is on to the answer I'm looking for, young families moving out of the cities, but still trying to understand what makes this destination so big and why now?

No one has a crystal ball......even companies that have insurance can screw you....the insurance company the use may suck and not pay etc etc....there are no guarantees with any company or person you work with....Old friend used to say....."

Timing is critical in REI, even though no one really has the crystal ball.It comes down to vision, gut feeling, and your own risk taking.I moved to sf Bay Area from Boston in 2003.

These goals are usually directly achievable, and crystal clear, like "Sell X amount in advertising for BiggerPockets" or "Write a blog post" or "Workout 3 times intensely in addition to practice."

Quote from @Mike Dymski: (profitable) deal flow...need lots of it...and that is very hard for us part-time investors knowing when to hold them and when to fold them would be great to have crystal ball :)

My crystal ball (which may be broken) says this is a small hiccup in a market that will continue for a few more years

As far as 3-4 years from now, I'd have to polish up the ol' crystal ball for that answer, but I can tell you that in the last recession the Baton Rouge market fared very well compared to the markets in many other prominent cities.  

While I hate for my clients to pay any more tax than they have to, sometimes paying the tax is the best answer.No one has a crystal ball, but running options is the only way to see the big picture.  

Great question because many believe that you can't be successful unless you have your Why crystal clear in your mind.