I sort of jokingly referred to my strategy as being like Warren Buffet's, where he uses the steady cash flow from insurance companies to buy distressed assets or companies that need some turnaround, like he did in the crisis, but I think that's being too generous.. lolI'm sure I'll also get some grief for "speculating" on appreciation, but I have a thick candy shell, so don't worry about it ;)

One will always say that they wish they started earlier unless if the earlier was 06-07 crisis..I started at 22 with a 3/2 condo which I just sold months ago and since have fix and flipped 5-6 properties and have numerous buy and holds as well. 

The big banks, particularly the ones - like Chase, City & BofA - that got hammered in the mortgage crisis and the subsequent lawsuits, are not good options for anything other than the most standard and traditional of circumstances for mortgage lending.

I would be a just tad bit more diplomatic...though not much.I'd just say, "I am interested in buying her house if she's willing to sell it to me at a great price.

Second, Section 305 of Johnson–Crapo allows the FMIC to waive the risk-sharing provision in the event of a financial crisis (up to three times in any three-year period).

During the mortgage crisis the threshold was raised for mortgages, but now it is back to what it use to be.

Originally posted by @Logan Zanki:If the value of the dollar (or any currency) devalues (or gets devalued) compared to another currency (and there are many reasons why a currency devaluation could occur -- internal fiscal crisis, external market forces etc.), there might be pressure for real estate prices to escalate.

If you go too fast, leveraging up with every chance you get, you'll be facing a severe financial crisis at some point.If you haven't asked local banks, friends & family for participation, then you shouldn't be looking at hard money.

At the peak of the foreclosure crisis our foreclosure rate was 4.2% but that was several years ago.

Take a peak at the podcasts, I've found them very useful in the daily bay area traffic crisis haha.