[Seahawk]

I agree with Rammstein with some caveats:

- Equity in real estate is not a "hard" asset..fluctuation's in the market can decrease or wipe out preconceived equity. The problem with the current market is that many folks borrowed against equity and reinvested the loan in additional real estate anticipating a "hard" asset that would also grow.
Ouch.

- Never borrow more than you can afford to repay based on the tried and true formulas of income versus debt service: long established but recently ignored.

- Save at least 15% of your gross income.

- Just like Catholic birth control, in real estate, timing is everything.