<<No body has a crystal ball so unless you are certain that there will be a fire sale 2/3/4 years while you are in CD's, stay in the real estate game>>Agree but the best money is made when there is blood on the street .

@Alison Chappell I own a condo a Sugar Beach.

I won't sugar coat it - downtown is a mess - but there are so many fabulous neighborhoods and suburbs that are thriving, we're selling a lot of homes and rents are going up and up.

You really can’t affford to spend much time on these people.As both an investor and real estate agent, I see it as incumbent on the investor to do their homework which doesn’t include trying to get blood from a stone by pestering the listing agent.

It didn't draw blood but really scared me as I am sure it could have been worse. 

I also poured my blood sweat and tears into the second property as a live in renovation and I find it very hard to let it go.  

Also yuge factor is the elimination by the Feds of the State property tax deduction, combined with many of those states completely screwing the people that are trying to flee by raising those taxes, and demanding to show where they lived every single day to show they actually left the state (hint, the blood sucking tax collectors in NY). 

For last resort to draw.Keep or get a W2 income job, so you can buy up when there is blood on the streets :)

The sugar approach is always best but the salt shaker I always keep in the glove box if need be.

We don't have blood in the streets but I am still a buyer for the right property at the right price.