At the very least you'll always know where you stand in any given situation, something few investors are secure about.  

Streamline your communication process to secure quality tenants.Focus on QualityThe condition of your property matters more now than ever.

I had two lines of credit one unsecured for 5 million ( check book) and another for 10 million that we would secure them up with .. but you need time to do that bank required appraisal etc before we could tag the secured line and even at that they only lent 72% in these commercial loan structures..

If the loan amount you are looking for is small relative to the value of the first and the second property combined, they are very well secured on a LTV%; ask for a 1% point lower rate.If you don't want to Cross Collateralize, do you have any CD's or MM you can transfer to this bank as collateral. 

What strategies do you recommend for securing hard money loans for spec builds?

Other notes: - Higher density multi family properties can be very hard to secure on the coast, but very profitable.

Quote from @Phillip Austin: There are two alternatives to a security deposit, which I speak about in my book.

I personally will not expand into a market without securing a reliable team first.Service Quality Over Price – While 10-15% may seem attractive, be cautious—cheaper often means less attention to detail.

The vast majority of lawsuits against Landlords are for wrongful eviction, security deposit disputes, and Fair Housing Violations.

@Bob Asad at our bank, we have an escrow account for security deposits, it is set up with sub-accounts for each tenant with their security deposit amount and their SSN.