Those are "black swan" events and are unpredictable.http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/2011-Case-SHiller-updated.pngOther than those events, there were small ups and downs, but the overall trend is clear: inflation drives price appreciation.Now, that neglects local effects, which can be huge.

http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/575/blog_posts/2743-4-obstacles-to-creating-wealth#commentsPlease delete.

Welcome to BP, @Zach Bagby I saw a Denver meetup announced here (I haven't' personally been to one)https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/521/topics/46...I like your idea of "house hacking" in a duplex or quad.....very smart for a young couple (wish I had heard that 30 yrs ago).In fact, if you notice a post (in that meetup notice link above) from @Billie Miller , have a look at her blog website....I just discovered her blog about her house hacking a Denver duplex.....I think you'll find it helpful.Denver is a challenging market today.

Can anyone give me some suggestions on books/blogs or other forms of learning materials?

I saw on a blog someone has even built an ADU, condo converted, and sold to share lot and taxes.

As mentioned in the other comments finding the right mentor shortens the learning curve, minimizes the costs of mistakes and increases profits.Of course finding the "right" mentor, is the critical point.I have written about this subject a couple of times over in my BP blog.

You can refer the article from CBS here for this number:http://moneywatch.bnet.com/saving-money/blog/home-equity/does-the-8000-tax-credit-really-cost-43000-per-buyer/1123/An article from MarketWire has observed that "In the months following the extension of the tax credit, price reduction levels have since declined."

This blog may have come about because of the attention to the subject of "short sale property flopping" as reported in Inman News at http://www.inman.com/news/2010/03/9/short-sale-risk-property-flopping.It is now a members only article now.

I immediately got together with my investor friend and we’ve been monitoring the blog on biggerpockets ever since.

I just made a blog post on my Blog about this very issue.