Armchair legal speculation is not going to help anyone, and least of all the ODC isn't going to buy it.

Speculators get a bad name in the media but they provide a very essential function in ANY financial market be it stocks, currencies, commodities or real estate.

In having discussions with people that live in my target area, it seems like the individual owners are worse as they do not have the resources/time to care for the properties (or that is the speculation of the tenant at least).

It’s extremely unlikely you’re plowing new legal ground, which is causing everyone to speculate and ask for clarification.What specifically, is the problem you’re asking all of these attorney’s to solve?

I wish they would have been around in the hay day, but they are lending on a huntch, when other lenders are slamming the door on speculation purchasing. 

Real estate investment is speculation by definition. 

I would not be able to find any deals like this in Kansas or Indi and I own there personally myself as well.An investor can speculate as long as the cashflow is stable in my opinion. 

I would discount that .... the reason to buy in these markets is to let your tenant pay your home off and make a few hundred a month in cash flow and to own 20 to 100 of them.. thats how you make money in those markets.. not on specualting on rent increases.. its the same.. as people talk about appreciation is speculation.. well so is rent raises in these markets.As well as West coast I think rents have topped for this run up

I speculate that the slopes in both directions would be a little less steep (the increases not quite as large and the decreases not quit a big)  with a little bit of lag (i.e. first year of property decline may still have rent appreciation) but that it would have a similar look. 

These are people that are very close to me, and I cannot afford to speculate.