Forbes did an interest article on “blue chip” neighborhoods that rarely go down in value and have always had solid appreciation, such as Pacific Palisades, CA
Every city has such neighborhoods and you should look at these areas as the “heartbeat” of your city – when these areas are up, the surrounding areas go up in value. I call this the “blob” effect in my book, “Defensive Real Estate Investing”. Buy the cheapest or worst houses on the block (the “WOBs”) near the BLOB, and your investments will be a good, safe bet.
