One thing we talk very little about is the toxic soil of these areas. Swansea has the most contaminated Zip code in the entire country. I don't see the clean-up costs built into the dig project. And I don't see private land owners willing to pour in massive resources to really clean this area up.

As an investor, I'd be extremely cautious. I expect people to get sick from the dust caused by the digging. As a current homeowner, I'd take the check and find another area to live in. Things might very well get worse before they eventually get better.

And yes, these homes were not built to last 100 years.