Regarding Raleigh Homestays ordinance, I contend that the city, with their ordinance, violates NCGS 160A-424(c) in all respects: "In no event may a city do any of the following: (i) adopt or enforce any ordinance that would require any owner or manager of rental property to obtain any permit or permission from the city to lease or rent residential real property or to register rental property with the city... ; (ii) require that an owner or manager of residential rental property enroll or participate in any governmental program as a condition of obtaining a certificate of occupancy; (iii) levy a special fee or tax on residential rental property that is not also levied against other commercial and residential properties... " Attorneys out there, please chime in.

In the value-add space, buyers are still contending with escalating renovation costs.

I was contending for a place in Hannah St in Forest Park but they got an offer a day after it hit MLS.

That said most governments are contending with deflationary pressures caused by automation and technology.

We manage over 130 properties and have to contend with this from time to time but typically the violations come from codes enforcement to our attention.  

I don't contend that we will ever reach 2006 numbers again, but I do believe that something bought inland that is only 65% of peak will incur 10% - 15% in appreciation as people become priced out of coastal markets and the demand moves east.

Supposedly, Conspiracy theorists contend that the governments of the United States, Canada, and Mexico are already taking steps to implement such a currency, as part of a "North American Union (NAU)" No current members of any country's government have officially stated a desire to create such a body, nor introduce a common currency, but does this sound fishy to anyone else but me as to why nobody's talking about this?

In other words, our labor, which is finite, is contributing in a meaningful way to the returns in a way that is not necessary in a passive investment like the stock market.We do all that because it's a good business, but a lot of real estate investors get into trouble because they don't know that they are getting into a business, and when you subtract the value of your labor, I contend that the real return on capital is going to be around 7%, just like in the stock market.

My wife is what I would consider fairly supportive but doesn't quite buy into real estate, and is  averse in general which creates psychological road blocks that I need to contend with. 

We do not have mudslides, earthquakes, constant fires,etc. to contend with.