Real estate lets you leverage a lot. So if you have $1 million in equity from an existing property, you can borrow against that $1 million, and put a down payment on a $5 million property.

Assuming your cash flow can cover monthly costs, then you will eventually gain back equity on both properties, and then borrow more money to buy an even more expensive property.

Leverage lets you grow a business faster than normal. The downside is that, if you run into a cash flow interruption, you're more at risk of losing everything