I have seen the best time (as I mentioned before during 2007 to 2011) but it could still be a good time to invest considering the upward rent movement, steady appreciation and large pool of renter population with limited supply. 

Consider 14% of all people living in the state of NY live there, the population is 2.6 mil....all of LA is 3.8 mil and the BK hipster factor is going off the charts.

How much of the population earns over $60,000 per year?

Second, while it is true some workers will head home to Ontario or Newfoundland as they lose jobs, current provincial government forecasts still anticipate continued population growth, in the order of something like 80,000 people -- which is decent for a province of 4 million. 

Dallas is a very large metropolitan area with 12-countis making up the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area, and having a population of 6,810,913 (as of July 1, 2013).So, for anyone to make a broad statement about "its" vacancy -- high or low -- is far too general and sweeping to be useful in any way. 

I just think you need to be careful about population trends out in PA is all- some of those towns may just be dwindling away.

A lease in a commercial property may allow a tenant to do repairs and improvements.The benefits to a seller are pretty simple, it opens the market population to move the property, you will generally be getting unqualified tenants/buyers accepting the L/O.

Check us census data for stable population growth for each zip code you are considering, i like to see at least 1% population gain both historic and forecast  AND very important to check for crime infestation in the area, so you can to to here for that:    https://www.crimereports.com/2, don't trust your realtor's input on investing, rather maybe ask a round thee RE Investor clubs in DFW area to locate a reputable investor and pay them a reasonable consulting fee to give you a second opinion about area or even a particular property.

The cautions with this process is that the future holds job gains and population growth to help fill these vacancies.The other part is this is the "value add" component. 

Looking for some advice and tips48 lots95% occlots rent average $365 ( some less some for more ) water and sewer ( electric individually metered )Population 20k (large retail stores within 5 min.) nearest 50k pop. 40 miles awayAverage homes sales 100k Avg. rent 1bed $600Asking 1.3 ( owner negotiable and willing to finance with 30% down)What should I offer BP?