It can run long, it can run expensive, it can be done poorly, it can not be done at all, you can be ripped off. 

In the olden days we used owner financing and even subject to financing when we were young and poor.

@Ricardo Matos Amazing you are finding €5k apartments, are they just in very poor shape, or are they semi-rural? 

The reason for the water to be away from the house is water movement from surface water soaking in, such as poor grade or leaking gutters, is it will move the subsoil causing the settling.

You will be able to find a co-op apartment that allows rentals but whether you'd be able to close on it is another question.Co-ops with poor financials will have trouble selling units to borrowers using a mortgage.

In the cities the government got involved in housing and low income housing was built for poor people.

Hey give poor homeowner a second chance etc etc .

There is much to learn: pricing, marketing, screening, contract law, lease enforcement, late/unpaid rent, property abandonment, squatters, maintenance, tenant neglect or abuse, communication, and 417 other things.Buying a decent property but not managing it well can impact your finances, marriage, sanity, physical health, and desire to invest.

The main drivers1) Local Inventory2) 10 year treasury(macro)3) Personal Debt levels(macro)4) Real Unemployment(not the unemployment number but real white collar job loss ratio'd to part time jobs). 5) Industry proliferation(can't tell me a tech or finance hub moves like a health hub).To tell me #2 will derive from the same inputs as it did in Sep/Oct, I'm willing to bet it won't.

I am interested in MTR for my properties in Akron, OH as one is walking distance to Summa Health Systems Hospital there and the other is a 15 minute drive.