I'm a fan of AO Smith water heaters.

Whether that meets the criteria of your question is an open point-I committed equity equivalent to a 25% down payment.Nice, Nick.Not to pick on your deal, but blanket or cross-collateralize clauses can be a tangled mess when you try to sell or refi one of the assets under the blanket.Matthew I agree with others that think the additional risk and hassle to obtain a 'O down' property often isn't worth the corresponding risk. 

So like I stated before choosing an AO to invest in is all about your knowing your goals, capabilities, needs!  

We have tried both OO and AO lists and we experienced a slightly better response rate.

I agree, you can't go wrong with an AO Smith gas water heater however, id go with the better grade that isn't sold at big box stores. 

A couple years ao he said they had a ton of members, with many speakers but then things some what fell apart.

You have no idea what went on during the remodel, there are so many ways to cut corners and so many thing s that a do-it-yourselfer does not even know.It used to be (in my AO) that non-permitted work was only valued at 50% of permitted work.