My local market is about .5% right now, so not great at all.Appreciation cannot be predicted either, so you really can't count on significant appreciation.

I don't think there's any way to predict how long it will take for a bank to reply on a foreclosed property. 

I like that my mutual fund or stock doesn't bother me with snakes int the backyard or shady tricks in court when trying to evict!  

As you state, over a long period of time, it will become less of an issue simply as a result of the loss of older housing stock or eventual abatement of lead based paint hazards over an extended period of time.  

What do you think of their Incentive Stock Option Plan or their Restricted Stock Plans?  

The article above is a great read if this is your goal.The trouble with the article is that it assumes an asset allocation strictly made up of stocks and bonds and analyzes that over various periods with varying mixes.  

I too received the August 25, email announcement of faster processing timesI previously predicted  Sept. 9 or 10, due to the Labor Day bank holiday, as to when I would actually receive rent payment, based on previous 2 months experiences and the money was in bank today September 8, which beat my expectation.

Invest in low cost index funds (like Vanguard total stock market but it depends on what your employer offers)5) Max out your *Roth* IRA for the year ($5.5k) invested the same as above (not point in investing in a traditional IRA given our tax level -- plus you can withdraw Roth IRA contributions in an emergency without a penalty - but you shouldn't as that's what the emergency fund is for)6) Split the rest and invest a portion in the stock market (Vanguard low cost index funds!) 

Financing your deal is only important to predict Cash flow and overall Rate of return on investment.

I've always worked on my stock market portfolio and real estate was just a dream.