I understand there are those who feel the need to warn others especially newbies of the risks and dangers in real estate which I fully support, but then there are others who really try hard to squash every thought of this deal. 

I see people were quick to squash your urges without consideration to what you really asked.

Hard to believe but that's the actual plan (squash demand, eliminate jobs, shrink the economy, recessionary policy).  

Any thoughts as to how to make sure this gets squashed?

They may squash the deal, but I would rather lose a deal to honesty then lie and get a deal that could possibly find me in trouble if I couldn’t assign/close.

In my case, the tenant stopped paying the rent which eventually squashed the appeal. 

Plus everything gets bid up to infinity and beyond so the premiums squash any decent interest on the cert.

The idea would be that once the equity in a particular property reached a certain level (trigger point), we would sell or refinance to turn that equity into usable cash before the market had a chance to squash it. 

This way you as a buyer know the bank will already accept at that price.It is important as well knowing that the bank will not pursue a deficiency against the seller.Sellers have squashed these deals before when the bank will not give them their terms.In that case you can try to buy the note at a discount and then give the seller what they want in terms in exchange for signing over the deed.You just have to know timelines and foreclosure costs for your state to protect yourself.The condition of the property is critical along with lease agreements in place.Your returns can be severely diminished over time if you do not allocate for immediate repairs needed and the reserves needed for capital items down the road.Example you plan on holding for 15 years.Based on building inspection the roof has another 5 years left max before replacing.So you factor in a cost in year 5 for the replacement with an estimate on what labor and materials will cost at that time.Short sales can be great deals if most of the work is already done upfront.If not you can spend up to a year in some cases and the deal not work out.Good luck

This is a people business. you need to find people to surround yourself with that will help to squash the fear and motivate you appropriately. or. just say screw it and jump in anyway and see where the river flows. :)Thoughts?