Hard assets will be the place to be, real estate and gold, and if you can finance RE with a modest amount of low fixed-rate debt (no more than 65% LTV to ensure staying cash flow positive in the coming carnage), then all the better.1996 21.2%1997 31.3%1998 23.4%1999 23.6%2000 -10.9%2001 -11.0%2002 -20.9%2003 31.6%2004 12.5%2005 6.4%2006 15.8%2007 5.6%2008 -37.2%2009 28.3%2010 17.2%2011 1.0%2012 16.1%6/28/13 YTD 14.0%

Having someone else in there that can't finance it until later on puts you in a position to default on your selling contract if you can't keep the financing in tact over the term of your sale.First, you need to stagger your purchase requirements so you aren't required to finance 4 at a time.

After going through the crash as a full-time investor, I'm not sure that I want to be there again unless/until I have a much better base of operations (positive cash-flow properties and PLENTY of cash and/or lines of credit to weather a storm).

Not all land contracts allow early payoff.Your equity position coupled with halfway decent credit, I hope, should be enough to qualify you for a loan.

So far, and without even finishing the course yet, it has been nothing but a positive pursuit.

Having patience goes a long way - feeling like you HAVE to have a specific deal will put you in a bad position at the bargaining table...you should always be willing to walk away.

It took her 6 months to find an entry-level position, sort of in her field.

They would have required the same satisfaction in order to insure the Greenpoint mortgage was in first position.

However, I believe I can generate a positive cash-flow of $300-$400 a month on the duplex which makes it seem a bit safer to me.

I am looking for a single-family home or a duplex with positive cashflow for my first property.