My last fall back is to get a job, live below my means and give my last pinch to a REIT and just say to hell with it....

Pinching pennies, we could probably save up a down payment in a fair amount of time.

I still will have 20k cash reserve in my emergency fund that I always have available and can liquidate other investments in a serious pinch.

@Skyler Smith Hi Skyler, Logan might be a little too far as I live in Kamas but if you're in a pinch I can make it happen.

One is a 4 / 2.5 on a pinch over 3 acres of land in Perry Hall, MD and the other is a 2 / 1 on a little over an acre of land in Airville, PA. 

If you do this thing, you must not get yourself in a pinch.

If you put in a room mate in your unit you could have a little cash flow and be staging yourself to buy the next property.Landlords are starting to feel the pinch of last years property tax hike so my feeling is prices are starting to level out or come down a little versus last year so if you shop hard enough you should be able to find a deal that works for you.

If you want a pinch more risk some money market accounts offer a bit more, but after they broke the buck in the last recession people are a bit more gun shy.

I know you are penny pinching but I would think about those factors as well.

Pencil in some guesstimates if it makes you feel better, but it should be a nice fat margin where you can afford to spend a couple hundred more in one month or another without feeling a pinch.