There are simply too many variables when working with people and business to predict what will happen.Having a Business Mind SetInstead, you are in control of your actions.

Arnie,  What you are proposing is called "predictive maintenance". 

I don't believe that I'm smart enough to predict a real estate downturn or upturn, not even in my own market of Denver, CO, much less the rest of the U.S.

You can though find 30k homes in little towns scattered throughout the US... challenges there will be minimum wage renters and no hope of type of appreciation.. which even in the major metro areas there is little appreciation to speak of simply because were your going to buy is dominated by rentals and investors only pay by return on investment.. to get appreciation you would need major moves in rent rates and that just has not happened .. rents have stayed pretty stagnate in most of those areas and are not predicted to go up.. you go up above the current rent rates.. and folks are going to buy homes at least your premium tenants.. you will always in those markets have your lifelong tenant

I am predicting the rental income will go up as soon as interest rates go up.

Minus a global economic collapse that none of us can predict, I don't see this market changing.

I hesitate to "predict" because anything can happen at anytime.

This can't really be predicted as far as I understand, so it's a risk.

I think trying to predict the top of the market in RE is as difficult as picking the top of the market in the stock market.  

No one can predict where the market will be in a year, in a month or even tomorrow.