It's like Whack-A-Mole: don't think about bad things happening until they do, then panic and run to BiggerPockets forum for advice.

Quote from @JD Martin: I can't speak to rates - I think eventually they come down out of sheer necessity - but as far as the economy we must be living in an insulated bubble up here in Northeast Tennessee; no one has bothered telling us the economy is bad.

@V.G Jason,I'm not at all suggesting making bad investments.

If it isn’t repaid, it can be treated as a taxable distribution, which adds to the risk.

I am really inspired by people who a take something that 95% of other investors would pass on and make it work exclusively for them through sheer will and creativity even with bad market conditions. 

@Ronald Rohde, sounds like you had a bad experience. 

I've come to believe that's not a bad thing.

You can do a duplex though, which might not be a bad idea.With your credit score, conventional might be a good choice, you only need 5% down for 2-4 units if you live in one. 

Airbnb and Vrbo will expect your rental to get 5 star reviews, to them anything less is a bad review. 

Good/bad ?