Long term plans are unpredictable and change, for all parties, both of these tenants and you. 

So you find a big housing surplus there, which keeps prices down--and appreciation, though it does occur, is very spotty and unpredictable. 

The more eyeballs who weigh in, the more factors subject to unpredictable action, the worse it can be.

I don't count on appreciation, its fickle and unpredictable, and you may not get any appreciation. 

So many things I cannot control both global and personal, inflation, bubbles in the market, the ups and downs of my day job, all those unpredictable elements that threaten the promising outcome I was so excited about at the beginning of the project.Not to be melodramatic, but with the wrong combination of forces I could not only lose the flip but my own home too since I took out the HELOC to do this.

I did manage a handful of properties that I would not enter without carrying a .38, but we also carried commercial two-way FM radios which added to our sense of security, as maintenance and other staff were always alerted to where I was, and what I was observing.Crackheads are unpredictable, and can be very strong, so if this is an issue in your area, beware.

The one constant thing is the rental property business is that it's unpredictable.

A private money lender or (individual offering hard money loans) may work out of their house on the side and have nothing but their gut and an excel spreadsheet they've built... this is a lot less overhead and they can afford to charge less interest.On the flip side... individual lenders' underwriting of deals can be unpredictable, irrational, and erratic since many times they don't have proven and established guidelines and procedures for lending and evaluating properties... and their available capital can be undependable... both of these can be frustrating to borrowers.Originally posted by @Jeff Rabinowitz:Organizations do not necessarily have more experience than individuals--brand spanking new companies with no experience whatsoever may form at any time.You're absolutely right on this... that's why before using or partnering with an HML you should make sure that they have the experience/expertise that will make it worth your while to borrow from them or partner with them.

This alone should be enough to open everyones eye's to the instability and unpredictability we're currently facing.  

The oil fields are so cyclical and unpredictable that I knew I would be laid off for more than a 6-month period before I reached that 6 years, so I didn't even bother with their 401k.