Once the market starts trending upwards you need to find the deals on the ones that still believe the market is going further down, and startgetting ready to liquidate because everything goes in cycles.I know that I kind of went off topic a little with this thread starting as an what was/is your excuse thread, and to summarize on that I believe that if someone still has an excuse why they shouldn't invest, I believe they shouldn't because no matter what the market conditions, their financial status, or anything else they have to have the mindset that they are going to do it and be able to succeed without it everything else is just a moot point.

Granted you may need all the cash for the new project but try not to overextend yourself or you may find cash flow problems causing you to liquidate to an opportunistic investor.

Take the remainder and put the bulk of it in something that will earn some nice interest but that the banks will view as liquid.

My goal for 2007 is to brow beat my painter into fixing that awful spray paint job he did yesterday on my new rehabbed kitchen cabinets, finish the bathroom in the same house (at the stud level) and FSBO my 3/2 project by the spring market.

The liquid cash flow alone is $5000 possibly more if you cut down on expenses.

Go over there with a spray bottle of bleach and water 5 to 1.

He informs me that he wont lend to me because I don't have enough liquid cash around to cover myself personally for 5 months.

The safest bet in my opinion for the novice is liquidity.

Center islands can be attached on the tile by a inside perimeter box out of the cabinet in 2x4's using L anchors or liquid nail and then cabinet dropped over it and nailed, toe kicks installed.

So, basically, stocks are a low maintenance, low leverage, low tax, low hassle, highly liquid alternative to high leverage, high hassle, illiquid real estate.