I do not want ownership in 1-2 star communities, but I have a consultant on our staff that thrives on this and owns communities with residents he "aspires to upgrade to rednecks".

However, this site thrives on interactions and as such we encourage two way exchanges and look forward to educational and thought provoking ideas relevant to REI.

Though the data is a little out of date (we're currently just shy of 320,000 members), the article is definitely solid and is of course, great press for us.How a Real Estate Investor Built a Thriving Social Network of 250K UsersPlease check it out and if you can, share it on your social media channels (Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / etc ) to help us spread the word!

For instance, I like places such as Nashville Tennessee, Indianapolis (Indy) and Kansas City in terms of some of the things I see there (companies moving there, a thriving tech scene etc.). 

The sulfur smell discourages many homes buyers in the area, but I often hear that is why the town is thriving.

For non-residential applications (like north side green houses) the thermal benefits could be significant and I'd be exempt from permits. 

They seem so complicated but if they work for you more lower to you  This is what a properly set up funnel, that has a great lead generation system to feed the funnel gets you:We bought this green house now worth $320K, for 10 dollars.While you are scouting the MLS, or Zillow, and doing a search  spending time and effort relentlessly trying to find a deal, and when you finally do find a house, you probably pay market value or close to it....we do absolutely do nothing, no time, no effort, no money, and the leads poor into my inbox, When dealing with true motivated sellers like I do, there is no need for funnels.

House ARV now is $320KIts the green house :)Motivation is key! 

@Jasmine RussellSimilar goals as everyone else here....accumulate passive income to a level that I can thrive without a w2 job.

Building a solid team seems to be a big theme of thriving and surviving in this space.