Look, it's not fair to look at whole dollar into REI vs whole dollar into the S&P, because that is cutting out a MAJOR "secret sauce" to REI which is LEVERAGE.

I take no joy in stepping into the middle of the stage as it were to get tomatoes lobbed at me.

That risk needs to be front loaded as much as possible with due diligence, leverage, partnership, one's owns secret sauce like being a contractor etc.

Add all the numbers up... rents, appreciations, mortgage paydown, etc etc etc... which ever number is bigger is "financially" better.No rocket science, no secret sauce, no crystal ball we have which you don't.

They didn't have the secret sauce that makes special people special.

Hopefully some more Sacramento investors chime in - may be there is some secret sauce that we don't have.

Property management has no magic sauce on large portfolios.

My secret sauce has been to keep my monthly obligations VERY low...I have no student loans (military college), I have no car payments but I have two cars (I don't finance cars), my iPhone is a 5s (I don't finance phones), and I don't have cable. 

Marble is alkaline and reacts with acidic stuff (tomatoes, oranje juice, etc.) and is unsuitable for kitchens.

There’s no “secret sauce”.