You can find higher ROI (on paper) here and probably in other cities…but the probability of actually collecting rent significantly decreases.

Risk increases as control decreases and there is always going to be a certain lack of control when title is in one name and the loan is in a different one.   

Cleveland, Baltimore, Toledo, Indy etc....You will see net population decreases in most of these areas but these are the areas where the prices are the lowest in the USA and come with rents that are very high when compared to the sales price.

Ya-know, I think people are stuck into some hypnotized media daze, and have forgetten how to use there own brain-bucket to think through the obvious.I don't know about you, but I sure as heck hadn't experienced any big decrease in price of things since, say '97', pre the whole "China makes our everything" craze. 

You can find higher ROI (on paper) here and probably in other cities…but the probability of actually collecting rent significantly decreases.

On a property with $24,000 a year in NOI and a market cap rate of 8.5%, and a rent increase of $50 per month and a savings of $1,000 a year by increasing your insurance deductible, you will add $18,824 of value.If you can reduce risk, such as having all tenants with significant time remaining on their leases and all with security deposits, that will often decrease the cap rate, which increases value.

But not practically speaking.The catch is that Form 3115 normally produces an adjustment which either increases or decreases your current taxes.

If, instead, you hold real estate in a different business entity, then you can dramatically decrease the liability exposure of the real estate and largely prevent creditors of the contracting business from going after the real estate.

On the other hand, having a low and decreasing return on equity overtime, the funds could be deployed to get yourself better returns although I'm partial to real estate for better returns instead of the stock market.  

Based on your post, you seem cautious and thoughtful so my guess is that you may feel more upset with yourself if this money decreased in value, over any "lost" money to inflation.