I was certain, but could not prove, that one side was dealing drugs due to lack of job, constant smell of pot in the apartment and rent always being paid in cash.

There is no pot of gold at the end of that rainbow.

If you are not willing to go through the pain then look for a different market.If you are willing to deal with all of the headaches and fight for years, my experience has shown me that there is a pot of gold on the other side.

I personally wouldn't know what do to with a small pot of money just sitting there. 

I generally am focusing my search on a specific market, specific location, or maybe a major retail corridor, so I'm not casting a very wide geographical net.  I

Buying a property without equity…. means that if you had to sell.. you will taking a loss equal to AT LEAST…all costs associated with selling.Selling a $400,000 property that was bought in the last two years means that AT BEST… the equity is equal to 75% of the down payment. ( this is a rough statement and anyone who wants to crunch the hard numbers is very welcome to post them)$400,000 buy… $$60,000 -$80,000 down… $24,000 to the buyers agent… and another $5000 for other closing costs.Starting balance ..is $370,000.New selling /asking price… =$450,000 depending on the region… good luckBuyer counters at $400,000 and the seller accepts…Minus the realtor fees $24,000 and some concessions…$10,000 ..Net is $366.000 Ok this is a very rough discussion.either provide tighter numbers or accept the drillThis seller got out lucky.And didn’t account for the interest paid out or the new carpet , paint dishwasher and sod.Buy a business with equity….

And then even with fees, you're net is better than the lower rates you're offering at FF? 

My current savings pot is low; I believe this will enable me to accelerate my savings goal as the barrier to entry is significantly lower.

It's very hard especially in California where Pot is legal. 5 out of 10 applicants cant pass a urine test, and the other 4 had some sort of traffic violation on their record within the last 5-7 years.

My initial thoughts are to spend money upgrading the kitchen and master bath; granite countertops, tile backsplash, maybe a pot filler over range, tile shower, extra windows?