With each flip we do we seem to learn new tricks to save money(and increase profits).

Thank you in advance Hi Michael,I'll address the scratching issue.The LVT WILL get scratched on move-in/move-outs and from random things being moved on it over time (plan on it).If you use the click-lock type replacing a single scratched piece will be a bigger (more costly) job than if you use other types.Replacement of a scratched piece (vs the whole flooring system) is a repair cost.Also, if you plan on getting 27.5 years of use out of that floor--it might look very dated way before then.Tastes/trends to get market rent seem to change about every 10 to 15 years (colors, etc...).

I can not express how often I hear people within and outside the industry complain about this new trend/ brokerage.

Arizona, Florida and North Carolina some other seeing benefits of population growth and positive migration trends.

I send a bill for $67 to Side A and $33 to Side B.The trick can be when one side goes vacant. 

My best trick to finding a rental rate is to put yourself in the shoes of the renter.

The trick is... systems.There are people that wholesale 200 deals a month... they have systems in place.:) 

Is this a trend and then once reasessed they will go back up?

The only reason the news media freaks out about down markets is they are consumer driven....and they're too busy stirring up angst to get ratings to bother commenting that down markets = lower prices = more affordable housing.The point I think we should focus on here is that we, as investors, can benefit from either and upward or downward trend.  

There is certainly a lot of interesting thought leadership around how to reposition dead malls and lifestyle centers:https://www.cnu.org/publicsqua...https://knowledgestage.uli.org...Here are some key considerations if your strategy is to invest in depressed retail assets:Market Fundamentals:  Did the property lose tenants because of macro-trends affecting retail (e.g. category disruptions in apparel, department stores, big boxes, etc) or are the fundamentals of the local market weak (e.g. declining populations, stagnant economy, high unemployment, lowering HHIs, etc) — if it’s the latter, then you should investigate potential growth drivers for that market and the time horizon for them to come to fruition.Zoning: Is the property zoned for your intended re-use?