Am I a real estate investor or a landlord???

[Robert Nason]

Honestly, both of these terms I am not completely comfortable with. I "lord"over no land and I feel uncomfortable when I tell people that I am a real estate investor. I think the term landlord needs a change. It puts us in a false dominant position over tenants. I truly believe it creates a psychological barrier when forming relationships. Don't get me wrong, I want the upper hand when dealing with tenants and tenant related issues,but I think there must be a better occupational name then "landlord" When I tell people that I am a real estate investor, I feel they envision I'm doing exceptionally well with tons of cash falling out of my "bigger pockets"and have a carefree lifestyle without any real effort. The honest truth is,I have done exceptionally well in real estate and currently own 20 very nice units in Massachusetts. One is an 12 unit garden style brick building and the other one an 8 unit high end historic loft building. This is my sole occupation and I have done many flips, wholesaled some buildings and renovated multiple loft and loft buildings in my area. I am very hands on. I do most of maintenance work myself, I tend not to use brokers when I do my deals, and advertise and show all my buildings personally. So, am I a real estate investor, or landlord?