Land prices in the neighborhood should also be checked.  If they are consistently rising, the neighborhood can usually be assumed to be in a stage of growth.  Another sign of neighborhood upsurge is the scarcity of vacant houses.  If the turnover of houses is slow, residents are obviously satisfied.

There are several early warning signs that foretell a neighborhood’s period of decline.  The population may consist of high percentages of unskilled workers and workers representing only one industry.  Another sign may be a high percentage of older couples who are long time residents and whose children are grown and have left home.  An area where development of available vacant land has stopped and where large houses are being converted into apartments and rooming houses is also probably a bad risk.  In addition, factors such as absentee owners, houses in bad repair, houses in foreclosure, an over abundance of “for sale” signs, a decrease in rental rates and a breakdown in the enforcement of zoning regulations and deed restrictions are often warnings of an impending period of decline.