I started full time investing during the top of a wild market that rapidly tanked, going from one extreme to the other.

I occasionally do contemporaneous settlement but that is only with large packets where I would struggle to fund the closing.In my market of Memphis homes sell for wildly varying amounts due to the circumstances surrounding the sale.

Brandon: advice from marketers can vary wildly.

And the crowd goes wild..shhshshshshshshshss roar and applause."

Sounds like you were really working in the 'wild west' in those days. 

But, the gurus devised the term to help market their folklore, investor sounds cool, important, like you have money, just sounds better than operator, so investor is used and there are some pretty wild justifications trying to keep that ego trip going.