Some European countries and the ECB have cut key interest rates to below zero.  

The WSJ recently ran a piece about the lack of financial literacy in this country, Three question financial literacy test This test designed by professors at MIT and Wharton ask some very basic financial literacy questions (no they aren't trick questions) and only 44% of college graduates got all three right. 

Canada and Australia are among the short list of countries where housing is lease affordable. 

I have seen a steady stream of Southern Cal folks and others from across the country asking where they should invest.

I read a great book about buying land called "Finding and Buying Your Place in the Country" by Les and Carol Scher. 

You have the whole country as your oyster once you decide to invest out of state.  

So, for someone with a lot of money in a country where the currency is volatile, they may consider "storing" money in SF real estate a better idea that possibly losing 40% this year from fluctuations (SF is one of the most well known cities in the world and draws a lot of international interest).Secondly, for those doing this locally, you also have to remember that the very poor condition home that was rehabbed could easily be worth a few hundred thousand dollars more now depending on where it is.

Even when people thought it couldn't get more expensive it went up another 20% in Sydney last year.Vancouver and Sydney are very similar in that they are the most desirable places to live in their countries and until recently Sydney was also in the top 5 in the world but now only Vancouver remains there. both cities are land locked, and they are also both beautiful harbor cities. 

Columbia numbers are much tighter than others areas of SC and certainly most areas of the country.  

It will be very difficult to try and maintain a property across the country and get quality tenants in the property and verify that they are not damaging the property.