Assets that may be used to secure funds include automobiles, artwork, collectibles, real estate, or financial assets, such as savings accounts, certificates of deposit, stocks, bonds, and 401(k) accounts.

I think this has to do with the huge bonds that the city keeps passing because they can't help themselves.

Yep and everyone tells you to invest in stocks, bond and mutual funds too.

It's also a great way to cut your teeth on Real Estate Rentals, become familiar with Property Management, and the Rehab process.

Depending on someone’s situation, risk tolerance, or investment appetite they can diversify in the tradition sense with stocks, ETFs, and bonds or mix in real estate and these other asset classes.

It doesn't need to be fulltime and you can cut your teeth.

CA is a tax deed state.. there is no right of redemption. although getting title insurance is tricky depending .. there are some cheapo insurance companies that will cover them.. but then sometimes the lenders wont go on their insurance as its not a name brand.also out our way its RARE as hens teeth to have a home go to tax sale.. tax sales are 99.9% vacant land and or slivers of land you know the kind.. its not the Upper mid west or out east big urban cities with tons of vacant properties.. 

So, if you deal with your state financing department for bond money or tax credit issues, or get involved with municipal projects, it's best to be local in every respect.

This down payment needs to come from the principals funds, and not from third parties, or worse, the seller.Years ago a lot of deals were done using “creative “ accounting so it appeared that the borrower was coming up with the down stroke while it was actually the borrower; contracts were written for prices higher than the actual selling price; money was transferred from sellers account to jointly owned “escrow “ accounts; sales were set up to “land trusts”, zero coupon bonds purchased for 10c on the dollar were recorded at full face value when use as a down payment, etc.

Not that it was all rosy, I was cutting my teeth on rental properties having to learn quickly as the properties I had bought it what I believed to be a great discount, I found were discounted for a reason.