I would not count on appreciation being anywhere near there because the economic factors have changed--namely higher interest rates.

If your goal is financial independence, your financial future is tied to the long-term economic outlook of the city where your investments are located.

Look into Government and Local Programs: Check if you qualify for SBA or local economic development programs that offer lower-rate refinancing options.4.

people get great joy talking doom and gloom and Armageddon.I’ve been in the RE biz since 1978 and been thru several economic and market cycles.Stagflation in the 70s, 17% home loan rates in the early 1980s, the failure of 1/3 of American Savings and Loans in the early 1990s, the dot com boom the dot com bust, the subprime crisis in 2008, Covid………I’m probably forgetting a few.

Personally, I want to inspect each property, check county records and ordinances, come to understand the neighborhood including economics, crime, taxes, etc.

There are still plenty of high paying jobs left, but the economic fundamentals are certainly not great compared to many other opportunities in other markets

I’m trying to be smart economically, but also get something that won’t cause us problems with low quality. 

Unless this is your dream house and that's what's necessitating the build, not the economics, you should really think twice before executing on this subdivision/new build.

It may not make financial or economic sense, but some people (me) reach a certain asset level and just do not want to deal with debt anymore.   

The appealing aspect here is the ongoing population growth and other economic factors.