Honestly @Dylan Henke this stuff works anyplace if you figure out the code, I know for a fact you can do it in your own backyard if you study the market, and figure out how you have to do deals, I have flipped in Bigger towns like Sheboygan, Fondy, as well as West Bend, I have done small towns too, I did one in Ripon, Beechwood, and Wild Rose,  some of the places I have flipped are depressed, and some are hotter, you just need to know you have a great deal and do your flip for the best ROI, not the I want flashy Quartz Countertops, and High end tile, when the return will be the same with laminate and sheet vinyl, doing far away flips is a pain, I have done several over an hour away, NOT FUN all the dashboard time. study your area and dont get too excited that you buy a bad deal to have one going, I've done that too.  

Which is why somone came up with the cute but somewhat depressing acronym of "swap till you drop". 

Sean’s approach above is exactly how to handle this type of personality disorder which is a very difficult one to deal with.

then some are just beat down depressed and don't care and do nothing. 

Many people suffer from a multitude of debilitating emotional distress, ranging from just wanting to feel more comfortable all the way to depression or PTSD.

However, the battle is more because the current residents don't want "us" to change the makeup of their neighborhoods - not because it has a depressing effect on property prices or because anyone is "taking over" the school district anytime soon.

It said that the landlord must make a resonable accomidation for people with such disabilities, and yes, depression and anxiery disorder is a mental disability.

Don't know why the first drop occurred (great depression and banks calling mortgages?)

I stay out of the really depressed areas, though, I like Morrell Park area for low prices and few board-ups.

The opportunity for basic investing arbitrage is perhaps better than it's ever been or ever will be again in our lifetimes.Additionally, the benefits of leverage to be able to buy property (or other assets) at the currently depressed rates gives the ability to both dollar cost average and increase cash flow long-term (with the obvious risks of leverage if you use too much of it).Add these benefits to the benefit of the interest deduction (which is much higher than 20% if you're earning more money, btw), and the overall benefit can be extremely positive.Again, it's easy to approach this topic with a very narrow and simplistic view, but good investors realize that most things are not simplistic in this world...