I sold my home in 2008 and that process got me into looking at people who really predicted the bubble, and of course, my own speculations on when the bottom would come, etc. etc. etc.

You may as well use it if you're going to make up speculative numbers and try to pass them off as fact.

I'm not a general contractor, just a speculator.

But they secured a loan on a highly speculative investment property with a competing bank 2% higher than a conv. mtg ??

We can't count on the speculation, but it's more info than no info.For that matter, interest rates should go up as slowly as they came down.

Rather than speculate I'd call the utility company & ask if they can provide the average monthly electrical bills for the property you're considering.  

Just speculation on my part.I have found that I have no patience for other folks giving me advice on what I should be doing with my money.

@Engelo Rumora  yup Citation 535 I believe.. light jet.... owner pilot.. late night departure into scuddy weather.. the speculation on our COPA pilots site is special disorientation... followed by a nose dive and yet another fatality...

For example, if you or your investors are buying property for flipping and using loaned money to make the deal (as most of us do), too much speculation and too much leverage in your position could spell disaster (as your exit strategy will be affected and more property coming onto the market in your range will make it harder to dump the properties).However, if you are in for buy and hold strategies, then the rents you are getting could isolate you from declines in property value, as the cash flow will help to cover your monthly obligations and things can continue as normal (as long as your numbers are sound and you are taking into consideration all of the expenses).As no one has a crystal ball into the future, we know all of these investments have a bit of speculation to them, but we use information, leverage and market conditions to hedge our positions.  

All the houses I bought in 2010 have tripled in value and my rents are up 30% since then. 1300 on 150K certainly doesn't put LV in one of the best cities to own rental properties.appreciation is definitely valuable here, and not so much where I invest, but that's too speculative for me personally to bank on.