I have $350,000 and like the idea of leverage. In the stock market I can use my $350K to buy $350K worth of stock. In real estate I can use the $350K as a 10% down payment on $3.5 million worth of property. What's a better play? Multiple duplexes, single family homes spread out over high appreciating or cash flow residential markets across the U.S. or commercial buildings like apartments or strip malls? My wife and I are 38 years old with a combined annual income of $115,000 and own 7 houses.

ITS OK

Your doing well. I would by Multiple duplexes.There good to by right now.

Just like any purchase it depends on the deal. The best way to approach any purchase of real property is making your money on the purchase. Get the best possible deal on the front end so that you don't have to sweat collecting rents so much on the tail end. Keep enough reserve to weather the bad timesIf you structure the deal properly it doesn't matter if it is commercial or residential.

rental I would invest in Commercial Property. Your still the landlord, but you will be dealing with a completely different type of clientele as apposed to a regular renter that can thrash your house or apartment, leave and you never see him again. Commercial property all the way with a minimum of a one year lease and can be renewed at the end of the first year to your discretion and of course, the rent goes up 15 percent from the previous years lease. If you can get into the ground floor of a new Industrial Park just being built, or take that money and have an Industrial Park built. It's allot easier on the mind to rent industrial property than a single family home. The shop owner will likely stay longer because where he relocates, his clientele will be notified of his new location and is more likely to stay longer in a location where his customers know where he is located. Just my opinion. Good luck.

If you go commercial residential, a four-plex is the minimum size worth investing in. 8 plex is better. Beyond that it starts getting complicated, maintenance and management-wise. Both are easier than multiple single-family homes like you have. Believe it or not, refuting what I just said about multiple single-family homes, small adult mobile home parks (upscale ones) can be a very good way to diversify in the right market (the properties themselves, not the trailers).

if i were you,i would choose real estate in commercial houses.anyway,i don't how's market right now in america.but in china now,it's rising sharply.but i can guess american economy are rising though it's speed is slighter than in china.good luck.