Jacksonville's historical home price appreciation rate on average is 4.3% per year.  

Closter is a historically expensive area, and I don't think that too many people are looking to pay upwards of $1M for a home there with so much uncertainty.

I don't know where you are located but with rates this low and inventory down to historic levels, the MLS listings you speak of are either overpriced or have a defect or feature that is turning people off or some other issue such as tenants not allowing showings.

I'm always looking for unique, historic but updated homes in the central valley.

I'm looking to buy salvaged double entry doors for a small building. Does anyone know of any salvage yards in Beacon or Newburgh?

Mortgage rates at historical lows are helping propel the market forward.    3.

That is no longer is the case.I still think locking in historically low fixed rate debt is a no-brainer in this environment, but am curious if others are using, or considering utilizing variable rate debt to take advantage of even lower rates to drive your return?

It's both wishful thinking and even if fulfilled, the potential home value has to be sold to be realized.Now, that being said, I don't know when you started to look in the summer, but middle of winter is historically the bottom of inventory.

Low cap rate in the case of NYC, implies a long track record of historical appreciation, minimal risk, etc.People who invest in New York (or other low cap areas) do not do it because they are expecting a lower return than higher cap areas. 

We are (somewhat) confident we could get a rebuild letter for the cottage and the house, because those existed prior to annexation, but there isn't any historical documentation (we've found) showing that this has always been a four unit.