I'm currently a financial analyst for a large medical devices company looking to supplement some extra income on the side through the power of real estate in order to eventually go into it full time.

@Maurice BunnThere is a difference between support and involvement or participation.My wife supports me as a I take on new music projects and students when teaching music.  

It's a crazy market, has been for a while, and it's really a tough market to be a solo investor in because of all the buying power there right now.

The power of compounding interest sure would be on the side of the lender model, but there's no chance for capital appreciation over time.

When owning in a flood zone, the question is not IF will flood it's WHEN it will flood.Zone A is a 100 year zone or a 1% chance of flooding each year.

Jason - @Brian A. is dead-on - most banks are going to provide recourse loans - its in their risk-averse nature.

@Rhonda Chesley As long as you have no balance on the HELOC it should not affect your purchasing power for conventional loans. 

For the most part he has done that, but he also bought major tools to do the work such as a miter saw ($400) and a power painter ($320).

@Philip Williams you are an example of the power of taking action!

Indexing is only powerful in the bull market cycle, not in a bear market cycle that we are currently in.