For what it's worth, I tour and underwrite 100s of large multifamily properties around the country each year.99.9% of the time, I use the 50% rule for my initial back-of-the-envelope analysis to see if the property warrants more time and investigation.Sure, it's not an exact science and if you have time to run numbers and investigate every deal great, but these guidelines were created by (and for) people who have to make very quick decisions on whether or not a property is worth further investigation.And funny enough, the company I work for owns over 45 large multifamily properties (~9,000 units).  

I am out of country until summer but will see if I can find the web sites as you mentioned.

Significant in absolute numbers when the country has 122 million households. 

and when relocating cross country, its either that (rent residence at least temporarily) or extended stay hotels and the like til close on residence. i opted for extended stay cuz there was more freedom/flex than most leases afford esp since just temp/short term.and i do know of some mature 'investors' who still live in their parents house interdependence style, like in the basement and stuff, and seem to have no interest in independence. can totally fathom the need to take in elderly parents when the time comes, lest they be placed in nursing homes. but living in parents basement or garage while being a supposedly established re investor is quite ironic too for it is what it is.

I know it's possible, I am just currently out of the country.  

Some renters in US are a totally different Clientele than Canada. email@Jay Hinrichs , he has written a ebook for out of town investors & ask for a copy.I had been in GA market for 3 years now; since I am out of country just like you.

Down South you have the Eastern Mass REIA with meetings in Rockland and Taunton.  

They've told me that rates go up because the country is seeing growth.  

From what I've seen Oregon and Eastern Washington seem to have decent sized investor communities. 

Our Social Security trust fund is predicted to be depleted in 2041.The recurrent argument suggests that without a gold standard (or a commodity backed currency), our government will simply print fiat money in lieu of balancing its budget, which mirrors what happened in other countries (such as Germany), who abandoned the gold standard, just before periods of hyperinflation.I realize that forecasting the future is a fool’s errand, but I would like to know people’s opinion about our current monetary policy.