Just this past weekend I sat with a group of seasoned investors in the Philly market and learned so much about the trends, different neighborhoods, strategies that worked/didn't work etc.  

There continues to be trends promoting conserving water and multifamily retrofitting in the Chicago area.  

It sounds good if that's the deal price at only $27,777 per unit, but in a C+ or trending up area.  

Unfortunately its part of a larger industry trend of charging service fees for lobbying and the cost of acquisition.

I can accept the Trend MLS fee but see no reason to be a Realtor and pay 592 a year for the "benefits".

It may not be perfect, but price trends per neighborhood are very likely reflective of what is really the case in real life.

Check out the population & jobs trends. 

Urban Institute Research - Errs on the policy side, but some very interesting reads and long-term trend articles.Like Wall Street Journal, but the REI focus is very institutional, and tends to have more bearing on my stock / REIT portfolio than any physical investments.

What asset class is this area - A/B/CCurrent job market trend- stable/growing/shrinking?

Collections tell the habit/trend of the people.