How do you handle stolen items and this deposit.

The excuse that their information got stolen and then the criminal just so happened to have the correct apartments.com login credentials and then made a payment on your behalf flies like a lead weight. 

A friend of mine had a house near Hilo, he went on vacation, when he came home he found someone had stolen all of the siding off his house. 

I just got a message from a CA investor who is doing 2 flips in the Bates-Hendricks area (I believe that BildWise did the contracting work) but he sent his realtor out there to find out that the back door had been kicked in, appliances stolen, and granite counter tops cracked.

The very thing that gets many people rich is the same thing that wipes them out.Should have bought bitcoin.

Whether it be REITs or a green-operator, or bitcoin, every investor's goal is to make money.  

Think of Bitcoin and other Crypto crashing to $0, stock market declining 20%+, Tesla filing for bankruptcy, eviction and foreclosure moratorium expiring, oil at $150/barrel, Fed raising rates to combat hyperinflation, interest rates on 10 year treasuries going to 3%+, China invading Taiwan, and more civil unrest in USA all happen before the end of the year....Austin market and every other real estate market will plummet quick. 

Three years ago Robert Kiyosaki, "Poor Dad, Rich Dad," said he had 33,000 Apartments and he was just Selling and the only thing he is Buying is Bitcoin and Gold.

I used insurance many years ago to cover stolen bike and lost wedding ring.

However, I don't see a problem with continuing to average in, even during a downturn.More importantly, I think real estate is the best hedge against the markets ;)And I think the next best hedges are precious metals and bitcoin.I think the dollar is going to see a real devaluation, and lose its standing as the world reserve currency, bitcoin as sovereign and decentralised money will take its place.