The multifamily housing program is competitive, in that funding is limited and USDA awards guarantees based on the merits of the project and availability of funding. 

I'm wondering the merits of paying for testing to be done prior to the purchase.

There's value and merit to all of those things, but real estate is about finding good deals, funding them and operating them.

Although the techniques have merit, these boot camps are a huge waste of money unless the speaker can apply these techniques in each and every market in which attendees reside.

I'll not go further with you as your opinion is just that, your opinion and there's no merit badges in Opinions 101.

I don't use the rule, I evaluate each property on it's own merits. 

Within ten years of going public in 1999, BlackRock became the world’s largest asset manager.Larry Fink, the company’s founder and CEO, prides himself on choosing his company’s leaders based on “merit and not pedigree,” according to a recent article published by the Financial Times.

Interest rate risk or other large risks can happen rapidly so I don't see any merit in the argument that one strategy is an order of magnitude less likely to suffer from systemic risk than another strategy.

I do the pro as a way to support the site. which I think has a lot of merit for a lot of people. 

I'm currently studying for the broker's exam, so what you say has lots of merit.