As far as securing the property, I agree with Steve.

The majority won't qualify for traditional financing, hoping that funding won't be too difficult to secure if the deal is good enough.

You don't want Mickey Mouse forms off the internet to loan money and secure property.  

Now here in the north west we have HML that will put up 80% of the auction price and take security in the trustee's receipt then do the loan when the deed comes. they charge 4 points for this service. 

My ultimate goal is to make Real Estate my next/last career (no, I'm not close to retirement) and to build steady stream of income that will provide the security and time to do whatever I want.I'm looking forward to connecting with fellow BPers (especially those in the Boston market) and continuing my education which I know will be life long. 

When a major expense occurs, I can easily sell the security and have cash to pay for the expense. 

Work it out and secure the place.  

You can get 10% on a note secured by real estate with a low ITV.  

By the sounds of it the equity you have in your current properties is a significant tool you can use to secure financing of some kind including a home equity line of credit or maybe a refinance.

All the books and articles you have read will give you a false sense of security making you think that real estate investing is safe.