Companies like American Home Shield have warranty plans for small multi-families that will cover all of your mechanical systems, plumbing, electric appliances, and even roofs.

Many times when I am in the proximity of Chinese tourists (infrequent I have to say) I have noticed that their social space boundaries are different and they are a bit pushier than what I am used to experiencing with Americans.

I have been saving up the old fashion way to put down payments of 5 - 10%.

What this demonstrates is that Americans have adapted to housing prices by altering the arrangements by which they procure shelter.

Is it the fact they are made in China versus the American ones??

These are just some factors easy for those who served to recognize but to the average American, it is a whole new way of life they have to learn to understand. 

I downloaded almost all of the Census Bureau's American Community Survey data from its first year of publication, 2005, to its most recent, 2017, and built a linear regression model to see what metrics actually correlate to rising rents.I found the following metrics, in the following order, correlate best to rising rents:Limited supply (as measured by a growing persons-per-unit ratio)Median household income growthJob growthPopulation growthMy analysis suggests that your criteria are in reverse order from what they should be -- that growing incomes and job growth are more important than population growth.

And maybe someone can learn from my mistake from trusting what seemed like the perfect American family.

I didn't feel like they pushed their marketplace on me; in fact they put me in touch with a tremendous Birmingham agent who has found 3 of my 4 properties the old fashioned way from the MLS. 

Ronald - As an American living in Sydney I was happy to come across your post on BP and see another investor living in Australia interested in the U.S. real estate market!