I like affordability better since it also factors in interest rates, which makes it look not as bad but then again if rates rise rapidly and/or significantly off their historic lows that statement flies out the window. 

Are you an investor or flipper in the Grand Rapids area?  

When you invest the MONEY GOES TO YOU ITS YOUR BUSINESS NOT YOUR BROKERS 2) HOWEVER, UNDER MA LAW YOU HAVE A FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITY TO ADD A CAVEAT IN BOTH YOUR SELLER PSA FOR YOUR ACQUISITION (AS WHAT I JUST DID) BTW WE COE last week and started work on Monday of this past week hopefully by Nov ladies and gents whooohooo rapid fireIN MY PAPERWORK FOR THIS ACQUISITION (I USE MY OWN PAPERWORK AND NOT THE AGENCY) YOU NEED TO DISCLOSE THAT YOU ARE A AGENT OR BROKER FOR RECORDING PURPOSES (JUST HAVE TO ADD A “OHH BTW IM A BROKER/AGENT BY PROFESSION BUT ACTING AS A INDEPENDENT ENTITY AS FAR AS THIS DEAL IS CONCERNED BLAH BLAH BLAHYOU DO THE SAME FOR THE DISPOSITION AS WELL (YOUR ASSIGNMENT OR B-C purchase and sales) JUST SIMPLY DISCLOSE THAT YOUR A AGENT BUT ACTING AS A INDEPENDENT INVESTOR.

When a market is changing rapidly, the most knowledgeable win.

The buyer pool in the neighborhood is expanding rapidly.    

When things are rapidly appreciating, the property taxes usually lag behind, sometimes undervaluing a property by 50%. 

This is how true wealth can be built very rapidly. 

My number one best all time creative financing of a property that I ever did was for a purchase of a empty lot two blocks from the ocean in Long Branch, I was reading the local auction list in my city when I noticed a property that at auction two weeks before that opened at a starting bid of $25,000 did not receive one bid, I went to the auction thinking I was going to pick it up for $10,000, I get to the auction at City hall and when the bidding started for this particular property I waited to see who was bidding, a man started it and I waited until nobody bid to start my bidding, well this man really wanted this property and so did I, when we were at $50,000 I started to try and knock him out by bidding in $1,000 increments instead of $100 increments, every time I bid he bid a $100.00 more, this went on until my winning bid of $66,700 and it was now mine, now if you don't know much about city auctions you do not walk around with that kind of money, a 10% deposit is what this auction required and they give (I forget the exact amount of time maybe 30 to 45 days to pay in full) now comes the creative financing part, I take my high credit card limit at the time of $72,000 (I saved all the 0 % introductory rate checks if paid to another credit card balance transfer and pay off another credit card that had a small balance of $1,000 and overpay the bill by $68,000, the overpaid credit card company sends me a over-payment refund check for $68,000 (that is 0% for six months being that it was a balance transfer offer of 0% for six months) I pay in full for the property within the time allowed by the city, (this was in 2003) I refinance another property that I increased it's value with the creative equity work I put in and got a favorable appraisal that allowed me to park the debt into a 30 year mortgage, the empty lot sold in June of 2006 for asking price of $229,000 with a profit of almost $150,000 after commissions, property taxes and maintenance/lawn cutting.

Nestled right between Winston-Salem and Raleigh/Durham, three rapidly growing cities with a lot of money being poured into them.

Also the bid increments will grow smaller and smaller as you approach/surpass the reserve price.