getting tighter but things may be changing soon depending on what the new prez does.  

@Justin PumprAs real estate investors, you should stabilize your portfolio, focus on debt management, adjust contractor relationships, implement stricter risk management, and tighten underwriting criteria.

I guess it depends on how much money you have.

Neighborhoods to invest in is a more subjective topic as that is often dependent on the type of investment you're interested in, your price point and even the type of tenants, if that's the route your going,  that you are trying to attract.

If we include investments in mortgage loans (trust deeds), real estate partnerships, REITs as well as direct property ownership, I’m at about 80%.  

This has been my experience: "As to the remedy plaintiffs seek, the case law reveals that "the equitable remedy of specific performance is routinely awarded in contract actions involving real property, on the premise that each parcel of real property is unique" (EMF Gen.

Quote from @Devin James: Im currently learning this lesson with New Builds that have taken twice as long to complete than anticipated.....Finishing a Real Estate project ASAP is critical because...1) Holding Costs add up quickly- Loan Interest- Property Taxes- Insurance2) Investor Capital- Our financial projections are dependent on how fast we can turn our investors capital.

I would try not to tie up any of the principal in down payments.Personally, I had a family member do this same thing, but they used an investment portfolio as the collateral instead of real estate.If you play your cards right, this might be the only short-term money you ever need.Please let us know what you end up doing.

Do you sell / buy real estate in Mexico personally? 

As I take in as much content as possible from listening to the Rookie Real Estate podcast, I feel drawn to building multi-families and renting them out.