patrick.net

Apartments might require another strategy, because they're usually a little more disconnected and realize that the cost of moving prohibits many from moving and puts an obstacle big enough that saving $X isn't worth it to move.

I'm heading towards one of these conversations, so help here would be appreciated as well :)

There are a bunch of use cases that we should be able to come up with, that could really help others out.

the best way to find out is just to ask. If other landlords are like me they probably already know what the going rents are and how much demand there is for comparable rentals.

ask the other tenants, especially new ones , what they are paying. I did this and negotiated $150 off my rent plus an extra parking stall.

repo4sale - "Land deals averaged 49.22% a month from 1999 to 2008!" Post that era, we are facing the inability of developers to finance the grandiose developments of that period. Maybe it will turn around after 2015 as you have said in other posts, but check out #9 of this article from last year. It usually takes 2 generations to ignore the errors of the past, so I reckon the big land boom that made you rich won't be happening again in our lifetimes.

I did something very similar a year ago however I focused on the 20 best comparables I could find rather than try to overwhelm the guy. I though that was plenty make the point without being an ass about it. Craigslist is a great source as you can cut and paste with pictures.

I talked my way into a 5% drop for a nice two bedroom house in Pasadena CA. It was less than I could be getting elsewhere but enough of a bone my direction to convince me not to move (figured that headache was worth a couple grand to avoid and I'm hoping to be shopping in 2012 anyways at the end of the mortgage reset wave).