If you buy retail and are not able to add value the only way you can enjoy a gain is through market movements.

Im just wondering if any other investors use it and enjoy the product?

I got started by moving from Portland OR to Columbus Ohio and started full time real estate investing here and started with house hacking/multifamily as well. 

Quote from @Jerry Huerta: Quote from @Charles Perkins: After 30 years, what advice would you give in real estate? 

A cheap place to get to and stay, with good weather and plenty to do, especially for spouses/family that may be less interested in real estate. 

For example, if you invested $150,000 in a duplex and were able to improve it through renovations, attract higher rents, and increase occupancy rates, the value could appreciate more efficiently compared to a single-family home that doesn’t enjoy those rental income advantages.In essence, the key difference lies in how multifamily properties can appreciate not only through market forces but also through operational improvements.

No thanks.I look at real estate as a lifetime investment, and hopefully future income for my kids and their kids.If you bought a cabin last year and already want to sell, you probably didn't go in with a reasonable expectation of the investment.  

In Las Vegas, yards are less important because it's too hot or cold to enjoy them.

From that moment forward I did everything I could to scale up just a little bit on every project.Much like you I really enjoy improving neighborhoods and seeing the before and afters.

Real Estate Cap Rates will of course follow.