"The days of buying and flipping a property for quick profit are long gone. But investors who purchase apartment buildings, perhaps as part of a retirement portfolio or estate plan, are seeing better deals now than at any time in the past decade, says Dan Fasulo, managing director at Real Capital Analytics, a real-estate research-and-consulting firm. On the cost side, housing prices are low and falling in many areas, while mortgage rates are near historic lows. On the income side, apartment rents are near all-time highs."
and
"Demographic trends also are favorable. Roughly 3 million young adults had been living with family during the past five years, according to data from the Census and real-estate investment brokerage firm Marcus & Millichap, and housing experts estimate that they now generate about one-third of rental demand.
"Still other renters have no alternative. Some 2.8 million homes were foreclosed on since 2008, with another 5 million expected to enter foreclosure or be repossessed by the banks by the end of 2012, according to RealtyTrac.com. Many of those former homeowners will have to rent until their credit score recovers, which typically takes seven years."
"The days of buying and flipping a property for quick profit are long gone. But investors who purchase apartment buildings, perhaps as part of a retirement portfolio or estate plan, are seeing better deals now than at any time in the past decade, says Dan Fasulo, managing director at Real Capital Analytics, a real-estate research-and-consulting firm. On the cost side, housing prices are low and falling in many areas, while mortgage rates are near historic lows. On the income side, apartment rents are near all-time highs."
and
"Demographic trends also are favorable. Roughly 3 million young adults had been living with family during the past five years, according to data from the Census and real-estate investment brokerage firm Marcus & Millichap, and housing experts estimate that they now generate about one-third of rental demand.
"Still other renters have no alternative. Some 2.8 million homes were foreclosed on since 2008, with another 5 million expected to enter foreclosure or be repossessed by the banks by the end of 2012, according to RealtyTrac.com. Many of those former homeowners will have to rent until their credit score recovers, which typically takes seven years."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703643104576291124203568038.html
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