People are doing it, so presumably it works.FWIW, I invested in Japan for a few years, but lack of rent growth, lack of appreciation, concerns about natural disasters, and just general lack of confidence in the J market led me to shift focus only to the US.

He was over-leveraged, the rules changed, and he went from a multi-millionaire to bankrupt in a matter of months.Wise investors work hard, save up, and put skin in the game.

So it may be costing you more than just putting some skin in the game and recouping it back on the refinance or sale. 

Potential homeowners and renters are now prioritizing locations that offer better air quality and are less susceptible to natural disasters such as floods, hurricanes, and droughts. 

Syndications are naturally a higher risk asset class so you should be getting rewarded for taking that risk by getting more return than the stock market.

Many of the posts here are quasi-commercial/lead-generation in nature.

Where each party has some skin in the game holds everyone accountable.

That being said, there are a lot of ways to skin a cat.  

.- Have some skin in the game.

I stick to sponsors who have at least one full real estate cycle of experience with little to no money loss...ever, conservative leverage, high skin in the game, reasonable compensation ( so they aren't incentivized to push the risk envelope) etc.