I thought I was the only one who looked at Physical RE as a replacement for bonds :)... minus the liquidity factor. 

Let me know if there's any other factor we should consider!

It all depends on so many factors which many are outside of a borrowers control. 

Or can you just factor them in together?

Probably not much if you look up the factors for score it may affect type of credit and length of credit history as well as number of accounts but as long as you don't miss a payment you should be fine.

The taxes does suck, but coming from NYC, it is similar when you factor other carrying costs.

You will definitely want to factor more economic vacancy right now, 12-18 months reserves per current lending requirements, lower LTV  and much lower rent growth, depending on the asset and location, if any at all during this time as we will see more and more rent controls coming out of this situation.

So, if the numbers make sense to you, you need a home to live in, you can afford it no matter what the market does, it offsets what you might currently be spending on rent, or any other such factors, this could be an ideal time for you, personally, to buy.  

If I were in your shoes, I think a factor would be how good a deal you're getting.

That’s not factoring in short sales.