POLL: More than ten years using primarily OPM to invest?

[Cal C.]

I know there are some on here who have done this, but I don't think it is very many and it is probably a minuscule part of the 400,000 members of BP.  

I have done it, but I had to take a lot of money out of personal savings and from other non-RE sources in order to stay afloat at times.   

My point is there are a lot of people who get into RE investing using primarily OPM, but I believe not a lot of people last for a long time doing it.   I'd be surprised if there are more than a few dozen people who answer yes truthfully.  

[Charlie Fitzgerald]

Anyone that does not pay cash for every property they own is using OPM...it's just a matter of the source of the OPM at that point. I have done both. I have paid cash and I have used and continue to use OPM (even though I have the cash). I much prefer the peace of mind of having my cash working for me in various investments that returns significantly more than it would invested in real estate I would buy to own with it. I also believe in diversification across different asset categories...I'm not a fan of all of my eggs in one basket...good, bad or otherwise. When I acquire real estate for my personal portfolio, I customarily JV the acquisitions with other investors and we leverage our buying power by using financing and our own cash for down payments.

It really comes down to preferences.  At the end of the day, if the investment is sound, where and how you acquire the money to make it is to me not a significant component...even when it is borrowed.