I would suggest you get a good realtor and get a CMA ( comparison market analysis) done on any houses you're looking at.

It's a valid comparison.  

Given how much of global wealth is concentrated in the hands of 2 percent of the population it is likely that in any representative sampling most people will have little by comparison. 

and great analysis on the rent comparison to buying.

By comparison a government employee is a clock puncher.

As you drive to work, home, the grocery, evaluate each property with an eye toward how it appears in comparison to it's neighbor and what could be done to bring it 'up to snuff' if it's not.  

I am a real estate agent in Naples - Cape Coral area and I'd be happy to assist investors in SW Florida RE market.Closed sales of existing single-family homes statewide totaled 24,811 last month, up 24.6 percent in a year-to-year comparison."

In a comparison of the returns is the land/home deal worth considering?

With that said, I have ran some different scenarios and feel as if I am missing something when comparing the 2 strategies.Below is what I came up with.A recent property deal (a small apartment)  I used as a comparison was this:Purchase price: $140,000Approximate value: $155,000Reconditioning: $5,000 - $10,000Down Payment: $35,000Annual Appreciation: 1%Approx.

However having started my HML career literally in Detroit in 2001.. and having done 250 plus loans there.. there simply is no comparison with the two cities..