At the outset,the overall objective of this study was to determine the role and impact of real estate brokers, appraisers,lending institutions and government mortgage insurance programs in the early stages of neighborhood decline:

• Do these actors and institutions precipitate,reinforce or simply respond to market dynamics and the consumer decision-making process?
• On what basis do these actors and institutions make their decisions in dealing with such neighborhoods and in what ways are their decisions manifested
• Are their perceptions of neighborhood conditions accurate or do they exaggerate negative aspects?In what ways to these actors and institutions interact with each other and how do their perceptions of the neighborhood affect stability or decline?