I think if I were in your shoes I would stack $ while waiting to get  the Boulder property to positive.  

Unless as stated above its a smokin deal.. we wont close until we get all our entitlements. many times land that you might tie up will have some hair on it someplace and that's the reason a seller would let you take a swing at it in the first place.when we buy dirt we have to prove who we are to the seller.. otherwise we cant even get into contract.remember there is tons of land that while some value still does not have much as the development cost exceed the end lot values.

Here is the process that typically unfolds in the transactions I am involved in once the offer has been accepted.Contract becomes fully executed (both sides sign)Send fully executed contract to the lender and lawyer so they can start to do their thingschedule the home inspectionCoordinate getting the earnest money deposit to the sellers brokerage within 48 hours of fully executed contractRequest any lease docs and income/expense docs from the sellersHave the inspection on the property and once completed and reviewed negotiate any repair and or credit requests with the sellersClear up any quesitons stemming from the lease docs seller providedBuyer works with lender in order to submit docs, schedule appraisal, and work towards receiving loan commitment letter by the date outlined on the contract.Once commitment is received, tie up any loose ends and wait for the clear to close from the lender.Once clear to close is received and closing date is coordinated from the lawyer, schedule the final walk through with the sellersAt the walkthrough confirm that nothing major with the home has changed since the inspection and confirm any agreed upon repairs were completed in accordance with the receipts you should have already received from the sellers confirming repairs were done by licensed pros where needed.During all of this work with the lawyers to make sure they are getting in writing from the sellers that everything outlined in the lease is actually happening.

They are unlikely to tie up a property with an unqualified buyer.

I have some savings but I don't want it to get tied into the house since our desire is to buy a second property using the brrrr method in 6 months. 

Put yourself in the seller's shoes.

So much of my cash would be tied into this house, plus FHA loan, that I wouldn't have enough to buy a second property, which I would like to do in 6 months or less.

I am also open to investing in the UK or US, but I would prefer to partner up with someone with more experience if I were to do any long distance investing.I do have some savings, but they are for the most part tied up in stocks (many of them are REITs and real estate related).

And if you have a tie on and a car worth over $20,000 you are lost and the highway is that way.People may shy away from us "rednecks."

You pay a premium to access that money, and you could end up losing it or at least tying it up for a while.