We didn’t learn anything from 2008 & this isn’t going to be a soft landing.Real estate is one of 5 bubbles with stocks, student loans, subprime auto & total overall credit being the primary ones in order.Now is a great time to focus on cash flow & not appreciation.

The depreciation amount is calculated by taking the original cost basis of the property less all non-depreciable property (which is typically land and other soft costs) divided by 27.5 years times the number of years the property was and held.For example: Assuming an acquisition cost of $130,000 - land value and other non-depreciable assets of $30,000 = depreciable a $100,000cost basis.

Hopefully, judgement and advice from this forum will allow me to narrow it down to a single choice so i'm very eager to hear from you all;1 - A slow start at a small scale (cash)a) Move in late October, applying for a bank account and small credit cards where feasible to build a credit history. b) Buy a simple and turnkey 3BR single-family to househack for ~ 100k in my own cash (Such as [1.i]), while transplanting or recreating my exterior cleaning business (1.ii).c) As soon as any lender would allow, exit through whatever HELOC/mortgage on the house I could secure in order to buy a new one again in cash, and repeat until a 'normal' lending process is offered.With only the taxes, insurance, maintenance, capital expenditures, and vacancies to account for at first and with room rentals in the area going for around 500-600/month, this seems to be a soft and forgiving method to land, and will become the backup plan regardless of my chosen path.PROS:*Eliminates FICO scores, lender/underwriter scrutiny, and credit history as potential barriers;*Least risky due to small total investment;*Least complicated process, and;*Lowest initial ongoing expenses.CONS:*No leverage - Stuck for a prolonged period before continuation;*No diversification - All eggs in one basket until refinancing;*Effort, risk, and expense of starting a temporary small business, and;*Loan ability throttled by self-employment.

Cole Hamels is a Cubs killer, and I don't want Rollins or the Flyin' Hawaiian on the basses to get into Z's head even more.

Hey Ben Leybovich is that a soft chamber or hard?

But I have just purchased a 100 year old house and the plaster below the wallpaper is really soft -- it has horsehair in it, and the neighbors say it crumbles if you try to remove the wallpaper.So if I leave wallpaper on the walls, what primer can I use?  

great insight guys :) thanks for the replies.especially regarding the mention of 'soft' skills such as the interacting with people, staying calm in tough situations, persistence, building the habit of hard work, and learning to analyze.thumbs up

This ages me, in maybe a backwards way, my first car was a 1986 Buick Somerset (which is considered a classic now), 3.0 v6, and the first and last car that I jumped on a residential hill getting all four tires off the ground for what seemed like forever...and then landed not as softly as one thinks when he is 16.

For many people there is a lot of “soft value” in going solar as well and the return is not that important just like anything people buy because they want to, and the fact that it actually pays for itself is an added bonus.

The advantage of your degrees and mindset is that you'll always be finding a soft spot to land.