Is # of doors a better goal than portfolio value?

[Jason T.]

I often hear things like:

" I hope to get to 100 doors by next year"

or

"I went from 7 doors to 50 in 12 months"

Don't get me wrong, those are great goals and accomplishments.  But doesn't it make more sense to view portfolio size in terms of value?  Does the number of doors even matter at all?

For example, someone can own 7 high-end single family homes as fully furnished executive rentals in major metros that command an strong premium above market rents.  And that portfolio could be worth $5mm. 

Or someone can own a class B, 25-unit building worth $3mm.   

Both are great properties.  Both are different strategies.  But who cares how many doors?

Can someone please help me understand what I'm missing?

[Omar Khan]

@Jason T. You are not missing anything. Most folks tend to use doors as a shorthand for portfolio size. IMO, 50 Class A doors are better than 200 Class D doors (even if the Class A portfolio size is smaller). 

As @Jay Hinrichs has pointed out, you have to dig deeper to find out the net wealth position. Someone could have 100 doors but be up to their eyeballs in debt and extremely over leveraged. Another person could have 20 free and clear. 

A lot of this boils down to financial sophistication and perspective. You don't see too many uber-wealth folks on these forums. There are a few successful people who we all aspire to be like and who's replies on the forums provide greater insight. Everyone else is just in the capital accumulation phase.