Yes housing prices increased rapidly and when interest rates stopped being manipulated to be artificially low this had a negative effect on the housing market. 

Good properties are receiving multiple offers and go under contract very rapidly.

Finally, there is the fact you will be taking on an additional 10 - 20K in debt on each property to cover the CMHC insurance premium and them paying interest on that incremental debt - an additional $4K - $8K at today's prime rate of 2.7% (assuming your mortgage runs the full 25yr amortization and interest rates do not rise).  

For bargains, I think Cedar Rapids would be a great place to look (don't buy in the floodplain) and there is a lot of activity and reasonable properties in the Davenport/Bettendorf, however the neighborhood are really hit and miss.

You see, I could have plated the car in 32 karat gold leaf and unless I was able to find a buyer who was specifically interested in paying a premium to own a gold leaf covered Mustang, blue book value is what it is, and no one was going to pay me upwards of $40,000 for a 2001 model year car they could just as easily buy with similar upgrades elsewhere for less than half that amount.Unfortunately, I had already bought the car and I had already flushed all that money down the drain – my only gain on investment being brief jolts of adrenaline and incrementally smaller quarter mile times.

I vote for the 401(k) and increasing my total assets under my name as much and as rapidly as possible.

If I wanted to run a business, rehab to flip seems like the best way to grow income and capital rapidly. 

You know making her pay late fees is so unfair...Now I can actually bump up this units rent all the way up to market instead of the incremental steps!

To alleviate any hardship, give adequate grace period for tenant to achieve new rents, it will be set up in increments.

So, I 1031 exchanged them all and now am a principal in 8 apartment complexes in NE Ohio that have 122 front doors and they cash flow at $160,000 a year and rising at a rapid rate.You gotta know when to hold em, know when to fold em, know when to walk away and no when to run!!