In terms of IRR, you can expect publicly traded REITS to have IRRS in to high single digits to mid teens and Syndications in the mid teens to mid 20's or higher IRR. 

When I calculate total return: principal paydown, tax benefit of interest deduction on mortgage, cash flow, (I assume 0% appreciation), I am somewhere in the mid teens in terms of total ROI.

I am seeing ROI's in the mid-teens every year!

Being a remote investor during a growth stage in the economy might be tough to find a lot of equity on the front end so perhaps the Hold and CashFlow is not so bad if you can still return in the teens. 

Now I’m not campaigning for everyone to drop out, and I hope I don’t sound like an angry teen stomping his feet, because that’s not how I am.

BackstoryMy interest in investing was sparked in my teens after reading Rich Dad, Poor Dad, which inspired me to go study business in college (Cornell University) with a focus on accounting/finance.

Some people commented that something was wrong with the big picture and that was true.)I'm seeing that current life events can be the secret reason for a relocation, especially with someone who otherwise appears very stable.The 'husband' was the 'father' of the 2 teen boys.

Obesity and overindulgence overall, comes to mind:http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2008/07/obes...Study: 86 Percent of Americans Could Be Obese by 2030"Most adults in the U.S. will be overweight or obese by 2030, with related health care spending projected to be as much as $956.9 billion, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.Their results are published in the July 2008 online issue of Obesity."

I'm a geologist, from Victoria, BC, Canada.Like most, it started with reading Rich Dad Poor Dad when I was a teen.

You know, the countries that have the largest military budgets also tend to have the highest rates of obesity...if we cut our military budgets, will we all get thinner?