Laundry detergent: clean clothes and time back with family.  

If she's/he's average then just put everything to CD or some rentals are acceptable although it may not be the most highest R/R at this time.Looking at latest NAHB appreciation forecast, the next 5 years appreciation return is not too excited, with mortgage rates still lingering around 6-7% in 2025 and appreciation is only 2-3%, basically mild market.In high rate environment, it is wiser to allocate more into debt investment, such as HML, or gov. bonds.

Would a mild decrease in spending and changing the death tax policy be painful?

Split Profits, Use a JV Agreement and a new LLC.JV with the Free and Clear Seller - You can get a simple mild rehab that costs $10K in rehab work or so, borrow from private lender fix up money, buy house from free and clear seller, give seller a note for equity, then the JV agreement will say you will resell quickly with an agent, pay off note, and earn a JV fee of $10K - $50K@Johnny KulaI'm from Mass, Arlington, Best wishes,Brian@Josh Caldwell is a creative guy...

@Clint WeirI find if you want to make some money quickly on minor rehabs you can do a joint venture with the seller if the seller does not have the ability to do the repairs before they sellThe wholesaling equation .65 times ARV does not make the seller any money on most cases of minor rehabsHow it works is you find a seller that can't so because of a minor rehab issue with the $10,000 on $100,000 houseIn their view  they have $90,000 assetThe public doesn't want to spend money in general on rehabs and re investors don't want to give full valueA technique I have used in the past with success is bringing in a quote from the wholesaling investor at .65 times ARV or 65,000 minus 10,000 equals 55,000 net to sellerUsually that's a crappy offer in the sellers's eyesI then off for a joint venture with the seller where I buy it and give them a note for let's say 70,000 and then pay the 10,000 with private money, fix the property up, pay 10% or so to sell, and make 10,000 on the JV feeFor mild rehabs onlyP.m. me if I can help you

Quick flight, good days drive away, meets all your criteria except weather which is mild for the NW.

Dont buy house that has increased inventory, dont buy house that has mild future appreciation compare to national average, dont buy house that has less appreciation compare to CPI index.

As to "political attack ads" and similar rhetoric....such language is not designed to elicit a mild response. 

Home prices may remain to stay constant to a mild decline.

When I told a VP I wasn't going to move ahead with their loan, well to put it mildly, I was treated very rudely and told I wasted 45 minutes of their time.