It's like standing on the edge of a cliff with the brick underneath your feet crumbling.

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You would never know that the graceful brick smokestack on the north edge of town belonged to what was once the largest rope factory in the world.

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Another man, Ali, lifted the edge of a blanket inside a mud-brick home.

CNN: 's Karl Penhaul

Housing stocks have surged over the past year, many teetering on the edge of overbought, and billionaire investors like Warren Buffett have been exceedingly vocal about the investment opportunities brick and mortar properties have represented.

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