I was looking at a retirement city that has 25% vacancy rate.Here is some other data:-population 21k-population growth 14% (since 2000)-median sales price 129k-year-over-year return -12%-quarter-over-quarter -14%-sales price 5 years ago 192k-2006 sales price 270K-median rent listed 1250$ (-22% change since a year ago)I like the fact that there's definitely room to grow (between 2006 price and current), however I am concerned about 25% vacancy rate and decreasing rents.

Those long term tenants might appreciate a more stable written agreement with you as the new owner.

Reserves not the issue but retired and using various sources for income.

Starting out, it was about making money, further in when things become stable you get the freedom of time but the nose is still to the grind stone.

You ARE a disqualified party vis-à-vis your Parent-in-Law's qualified retirement account, and she cannot invest with you or any entity that you own 10% of.

Currently I am involved in a mid-size residential remodeling company with a pretty stable workload which supports myself and my family.

I am going to be targeting mostly people I know who are likely to have large retirement accounts (a few liquid cash) who would be looking for a replacement for their 'lower risk' (relatively) portion of their portfolio.

I think your most common buyer that's going to buy a $200k home for cash would be a retired person/couple that has cash in the bank but have low monthly income coming in.

@Diana B.In a nutshell you have:1) RRSP - contribute pre tax income, investment is sheltered, pay taxes when you withdraw;2) TFSA - contribute after tax income, investment is sheltered, pay no taxes when you withdraw.So it all depends on where you are in your life and how much you think you will have in retirement.

After going through all this I am pushing up my retirement plans by a couple years so that I can spend time with my wife and children, do some traveling, and just relax!