So to me, more investors just means you guys are increasing my purchase cost by trading it between yourselves before it gets to me.

@Bob Malecki  market is key the OP was talking rurual mid west  Caution is the name of the game in those assets.and its a reason for instance that CA NPN trade so high.. you know the exit value is much easier to determine and the assets are very liquid once you get them.. homes in rural mid west can and do take years to sell .. how do I know I owned some..

You need to report trade lines to D&B, contractors, plumbers, etc.

Try higher price w/purchase money note, equity stretcher or other asset as partial trade.

Real estate will require more of your time from a management standpoint but it can possibly accelerate your wealth building through the use of leverage.Pick up a copy of The Millionaire Mind by Thomas Stanley if you haven't read it already - he talks about the wealth building aspects of a sample of decamillionaires and most didn't build their fortune through publicly traded stocks but rather through their own companies (including real estate).Best wishes!

. - You get all this already because as you admit you're somewhere in between, which is the smart place to be :)  I'm right there with you - most of my properties are F&C, but I also understand that I am trading return for lower levels of aggravation - i.e., my investment doesn't require as much of my time & energy as it would if I wanted greater returns.

Should I:1) Trade up vertically using $150K towards Commercial Multifamily (5+)2) Trade across horizontally to multiple Smaller Multifamilies (4-)3) Hold what I have and put my savings (Approx: $80K) to work for me?

I tend to buy based on price per door and what I want to see in an area (and what I've paid) and price per rent ratios (also based on what I've seen traded / what I've paid).So on a simple "how much are you paying for that rent roll" basis, that property is fine IMO.  

Or if you like the hotel sector, simply look at publicly traded hotel firms like Hilton or Marriott.My suggestion: I would actually keep researching and maybe even look closer to home. 

Is there some trick to the trade I haven't learned yet?