I agree Account Closed, reducing equity can provide protection of the asset from a lawsuit, but increases risk unnecessarily if this is the only reason to leverage.

We are building 2 long term SF rentals each with a mother in law suite we plan on using as AirBnbs.

And not one that you make up and write down after the lawsuit. 

If you do buy California property, you may want to consider whether filing in another state is worth it when you can just have a CA LLC since you will need to register there if you're a resident anyway.Most likely the state where the property is located is where lawsuits would be brought if they are something for personal injury like a trip and fall or something of that nature because the “cause of action” arose in that state.

Pretty sure he meant putting the ENTIRE purchase price in escrow.I was the lender on a deal where the seller tried to back out and it ended up in a specific performance lawsuit, and that’s exactly what I had to do (deposit the entire purchase price into escrow until the lawsuit was resolved and the judge ordered the sale to go through).So it’s doable, but Jay’s point is a good one...you have to be prepared to show you’re ready/able to close on your end, and that usually means depositing that money and having it tied up for who knows how long. 

I'd spend more time thinking about how not to get sued than how to defend a potential lawsuit.  

No-one is going to target a property(file a frivolous lawsuit) that is 80% owned by a bank.

Brokers Face Lawsuits over Telecommunication LawCalling or texting someone might seem like a minor infraction, but an increasing number of Fla. brokers are facing lawsuits from disgruntled consumers thanks, in part, to certain law firms, including one that considers itself “text message lawyers.”Full Article...

It is designed to pay without determining fault and to avoid lawsuits for small claims.

Followingsooo the people doing this with great success either just haven't texted a lawsuit happy homeowner or they are having a VA text each number manually?