I am yet to get out and drive through neighborhoods but have recently made an effort to be prepared to track this information.

I have never experienced this so I don't know the exact procedure, but in this day and age I would think that this could be reversed and corrected with a little effort from everyone involved.Good Luck and keep us posted.Ed

And a kitchen renovation involves time and effort from the individual -- to your point, picking what they want. 

When I buy an investment property in Israel, there are heavy purchase and capital gains taxes, meant to discourage real estate investment, as part of a misguided effort to bring down housing costs.  

I figure in theory this could work with enough patience, effort, and luck.

There are deals out there but it takes more time and effort and marketing $$ than many realize.  

I have to take the time and effort to liquidate a deferred annuity (18,000) and empty a retirement account (5,000) and add it to ALL my savings in order to come up with 90,000, so I can offer 90,000.

Also what types of properties generally require less effort?

This is a system flaw...one shortcoming that BP could overcome with a little effort.  

There are efforts to revitalize downtown but some of that seems to revolve around preserving the architecture which can lead to some logistical difficulties for investors who want to rehab H/T @Will McGuire ."