Signed up a few days ago, just now getting around to an introduction.Longtime stock investor, relatively fresh options investor, now contemplating real estate.

Vanguard total stock market fund in taxable account (I ask this because I heard Dave Ramsey mention he puts money for real estate in an S&P fund until he’s ready to buy).  

I have dabbled in the stock market and have been fairly successful.  

There is a lot of really poor housing stock out there so you have to keep to your principles and be patient.

Predictions of the future have a funny way of laughing in our faces.

In other investment realms such as corporate finance or stocks, people often use a probabilistic approach where each variable has a range of outcomes that vary along some distribution (i.e. normal/bell curve, triangular, etc).

What is your system for making there is enough money in reserves to service your properties without having to stock pile cash? 

@Marlon Long No way to predict if they will actually apply.

@Harry Walker I'm just curious when you say it is legal to market your contract (for me I think options contract on a stock as a similar example) versus the actual property.

Past predicts...reasonably well, or it would not be purchased...present and future.