I tend to agree that often it doesn't make sense to hold an already tax-advantaged asset class within a retirement account, however I wouldn't call it stupid.What makes sense is going to depend on the person's facts, circumstances, and goals.

Hi all, I've been a member for a while but I have not been able to focus on real estate investing as I've had to tend to my other 2 businesses the last few years. 

These tend to have higher profit margins as compared to other real estate options and the land comes with the purchase unlike the laundromats I was looking at whose facilities were leased.

These people also tend to be married and their spouses tend to have verifiable sources of income.

tend to believe everyone is motivated by money; people who are lifestyle motivated think everyone is motivated by the least amount of time expended; people who are risk adverse can’t believe other people are willing to “bet” on outcomes even when the odds are clearly in their favor. 80% of the time (IMO) people who make decisions we disagree with are not making stupid, ill informed decisions or being “tricked”; they just have motivation, needs and desires different that our own.  

Where do you tend to sail? 

Still not sure if I would use them or not since I tend to find better quality in smaller local firms, but that's just a personal (I suppose professional too, in this case) preference.

Those that tend to have a bad experience, is typically tied to poor Sponsor selection or offering selection.

Their departments are segregated so the new ones don't learn anything from the successful ones, their teams tend to skew engineer heavy with little thought for user experience, and their products rarely integrate in a sensible way since they are so segregated. 

Growing that fast just tends to lead to trouble.