IE got the tail end of the housing crash while OC markets held value throughout.I'm thinking the only way cashflow makes sense in for a duplex or more units with %20 down.  

No upside to holding and with possibility of market drop coming you are better off getting out ahead of the crash.

It won't be as much as if you wait for after the crash to buy, but it will still be something.Here is the scenario to avoid at all costs:  buying a property where the cash flow is not sufficient to meet all the expenses, using debt (a mortgage) to purchase it.  

I am a college student, and don't have money to invest, and probably won't have a lot over the next few years, but what if a crash happens in school?

In my mind, it depends on what the nature of the crash is - for example, if the crash is due to a contraction in the job market, pretty much every segment suffers (renters can't afford rents, people don't have free money to buy flipped homes, etc.).

What are your thoughts to survive the coming crash (may be in 2 to 7 years)?

Now we are experiencing the "crash" in commercial which is presenting numerous deals throughout the country.

Just like plane crashes, we hear about the problems but forget about all the ones with no problems.

In fact, photographer Valérie Anex published a photo series titled, “Ghost Estates,” which documents the horror of the overbuilding that took place in Ireland prior to the crash.

How did it weather the 2008 crash?