At best, they will be stable for a few years, but I would not place bets on it.Just to give you an idea, here is the 5-year chart for the largest REIT holding in my portfolio: Anything that makes a run like that is at the tail-end of its growth, or assuredly ready for some correction.

@Cody Hill Yes, it's tricky without some trustworthy teammates on the other side, but you can find those here on BP.

I live abroad now and have no W2 or way to evaluate properties myself so I'm thinking that may be a safer bet rather than buying more houses..... not sure. 

In short, most of the investors are guys who have made a ton of great bets and investors assume their participation means something.As to the actual opportunity itself they are certainly overvalued for the time being based on what is there today but I would assume one thought investors have is that they will build up a list of ready buyers and cheap capital.

As to cash out refis in the secondary market, these loans can be offered and then taken off the table depending on many variables, you can't really say they will be available in 3 years or even next year, portfolio lenders can be a better bet, but they too can put the brakes on with non-owner occupied cash out refis!

My bet is the agreement is actually 6% total commission out of which 2.8% goes to the buyer's agent w/ the remainder to the seller's agent.  

If at any time you're properties pave the way for a lawsuit don't bet the house they won't take advantage.  

I bet if you did some marketing in your area you could find bargains pretty close to you.

For the most part, door knocking, cold calling, email marketing, ppc, and direct mail are your best bets for producing those leads.With that said, I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss deals on the MLS either.

Sounds like your territory is more in the burbs, and commuting here can be a PITA, so your best bet is to come here and get the lay of the land and then decide on where you want to live.