@Paul ScozzariAfter the 2005 housing boom, builders used Chinese drywall was being supplemented because of the lack of U.S drywall supply.

We were able to order an international credit supplement from them to add to her credit history. 

I like to believe if you are a real estate "investor" then you should treat your real estate investments the same way you would investments in other markets (stocks, bonds, etc) in the since that the primary idea of your investments is not to become your primary source of income, but to supplement your income. 

Depending on one's needs, with supplemental income, state grants, school loans....jumping off the freeway (via further education), for a while then jumping back on becomes a viable option.

I also have an undergraduate and graduate degrees in Real Estate and am a CFA Charterholder.Long-term GoalsMy wife and I want to build a portfolio of SFH and multi-family real estate to supplement our jobs and build a nice income stream for retirement.We are interested in owning quality properties because our time horizon is more than 20+ years.

Investing is about finding creative ways to generate income, and they might not all be ideal but you can always supplement a lower salary by using things like wholesaling or rent to own options with very little if any money down.

Have a plan of retiring in 10 years, which would be 20yrs on the job while creating a supplemental cash flow in the meantime.

Supplement with “The One Thing” by Gary Keller and you’d be a powerhouse in no time. :-) Cheers!

I would like to use RE to diversify my portfolio and to supplement my income.

From the little I've learned, I realize that real-estate can be a great investment vehicle for providing or supplementing a retirement plan.