While she was shopping around trying to buy in Phoenix, which we predicted would grow considerably, she needed the extra cash to get into the home.

It is very hard to predict tomorrows value in this current market.

I am searching rental properties and realized zillow provides rental estimates and prediction of home values in the next year, etc. not sure how reliable are these info.

I have always learned two things from the economists that are quoted in these types of articles:1) They have predicted 10 of the last 2 recessions2) A broken clock is right 2 times a dayDo your own research and make sure the deal works for you.

I know you cannot predict the market, but does anymore from Dallas feel that maybe I should start in a less competitive or developed?

I would make the bold prediction that Hays county will become the Orange county of central Texas over the next few decades.Hopefully you got something out of that.

There is a lot of commercial development occurring in that expo/usc neighborhood- they broke ground on the George Lucas Museum, the LA Football Club, renovations to the Coliseum has begun, Honda is moving in a dealership on King, and the opening of USC Village (which includes Trader Joes and Target). 2.

Rents will come down and students will be able to rent closer to campus and won't have to go out beyond Wescott.You would be well within the predicted OK zone but you can count on rents going down. 

So basically, the idea is that even though all the numbers look great, the vacancy can not be predicted because people with low salaries tent to be unstable and there for we will have a lot of days, week and hopefully not month when nobody will be living in that duplex.

Work started with demolition on August 20th as predicted and within 2 weeks the place was a shell.