I would guess at least a few of you have had to convince your spouse or significant other that you weren't crazy, you weren't going to bankrupt the family, and that this whole real estate investing thing was a good idea ... right?  

Especially 10 years back, 10 years is long enough for someone to go from teenager, to responsible adult, to bankrupt, and back to having a high credit score.

A true description for failure.You have a terrible tenant that.....you do not want to get rid of                                                ......you choose to be at her beck and call to collect money she owes you                                                .......you accept her monetary handouts like her servant.                                                 ......you have no idea what you are doing wrong and no idea what you should be doingI would normally tell someone in your position to sell before you go bankrupt.

If you leverage yourself hugely and get a large apartment complex you could get incredibly rich, but you could also end up bankrupt with a very large debt if you don't know what you are doing.I would have a five-year plan and would actively manage every investment during this period.

My company bought them all up for 60c on the dollar, cleaned the place up, kicked out drug dealers and prostitutes, fixed the houses inside and out, removed 20 some broken down cars parked in the lots, and started the HOA again, this is the before pictures.Most that did not go bankrupts due to the area declining in value, are sure happy the community has the HOA running again, it's turning the place around.

We have one locally where the builder went bankrupt prior to completion of the subdivision and it fell on the homeowners to all pitch in for road maintenance.

So as a fairly new investor I was hoping for seasoned investors who know their region/ city to provide either steps or things they suggest you look into before investing in a city. for example:make sure the employment rate is increasing/ comparing its increase to the stae/provinceMake sure vacancy rate is decreasingensure there is more then 1 major economic contributor to the city eg detroit was motor town then went bankrupt once recession hit. 

Some invest only in what they know, but I am a jack of all trades).Say you go bankrupt (heaven-forbid).

When markets correct and they will, it is the appreciation investor who goes bankrupt. 

Plus, as I am learning about rental properties, I'd certainly rather take some hard knocks in an area that won't bankrupt up vs.