I have been trying to look at properties across the country but it is pretty time consuming.

Since there is not a monolithic cause, there cannot truly be a form of investing that perfectly hedges against each.That said, what I like about self-storage and B&C class multifamily is that they can perform in a stable market cycle but they also can profit on a down cycle because of what happens to consumer mentality in a pinch. 

As a possible consumer, I would also like to read peer reviews and a rating system "a la" Amazon.

Consumers Credit Union in IL has between 3.09% and 4.09% APY up to $10K with additional hoops.  

New to RE investing. We are a young family, moving to Ohio, looking for a house hack opportunity in Cincinnati and surrounding suburbs (maybe Madeira/Indian Hills/Mason/Blue Ash?). Ideally we want 3BR SFH in:
- safe ...

@Ron S. is referring to https://oag.ca.gov/consumers/general/foreclosure_reg which you will not be doing. 

@Kao Saeteurn if you closed as a primary residence, then yes you signed a new mortgage in February starting a new clock that you intend to occupy for 1 year.You could have opted to tell the lender that you did not plan to occupy for 1 year, in which case they could have done the IRRRL as an investment property, which is absolutely allowed for an IRRRL. 

And the private market is growing (I think it is only getting better) but to use your words it is in flux which I belive will be good for consumers and much better than the monopoly that we had with the government policy being the only option for nearly 50 year.  

You have to treat the second mortgage as consumer dept and they are ultimatley responsible for it.

It seems a bit ridiculous there aren't better consumer protections but after talking to a few attorneys, it seems like that is the case with Georgia law.I am wondering if the BP community may have a better perspective as the attorneys are incentivized for us to take them on.Much appreciated!