Additional investment options that you may want to consider are bare land or oil & gas mineral rights. 

This is our bare minimum lending criteria.The good news/bad news for you (mostly good news) is that Nevada is easily the most restrictive state in the union to make a hard money loan.

My point is, the seller did this the day of closing, did not tell me, barely gave his attorney enough notice and we still closed on time.

This seems like your walking down a gravel road in bare feet--Ouch, ouch ouch.Do they have to sell, if so then they will.

We do our research and find out that the bank is barely halfway through their foreclosure.

Right now you are living a frugal life style and keeping living expensive at a bare minimum for your age and situation which is great (I wish I could do the same haha).

Having cash in hand versus a property that barely cash flows is a better way to scale.

Rates are not far above conventional.  20% down would be the bare minimum. 

There are (a lot of) days when I'm barely able to get around my own house, let alone go out and see other properties. 

Puerto Vallarta is barely mentioned in the report while Playa del Carmen deserved a few lines: "In Playa del Carmen, a coastal resort town along the Yucatán Peninsula’s Riviera Maya, a three-bedroom apartment is priced at US$ 460,000.