I don't understand this attitude that someone who decides to invest their money into real estate instead of the stock market should be derided as a plague on society, as if it's not much more work to be a landlord than a stock market investor. When you are a landlord, you have to worry about tenants that don't pay (and threaten you with physical violence when you try to collect), tenants that damage your property, having to fix the property (some even do their own work to save money). You might not even be able to evict a problem tenant easily without some long dragged out court case, during which time you are collecting no rent. When tenants move out, you worry about how long it will take to find another tenant, as mortgage payments and taxes and repairs don't stop when there is no tenant. You have to worry about the local market situation changing, perhaps some new construction like a factory might make your property less desirable, perhaps young people just think that the area is played out, and so you will have to try to sell your property ahead of the change while looking for a new one. You have to constantly track possible changes in other neighborhoods as potential places to buy if needed. This information is not available online, you have to beat feet and constantly talk to other people and track down rumors, trying to get the big picture over all the little neighborhoods in your city. And if you are actually forced to sell and buy somewhere else, you have to spend months or years going all over the city to find another property (good real estate are just not on the market that often). Mistakes have a huge cost, and a poor choice could wipe you out as you are locked in to a property that doesn't bring income and have no buyers. You have to worry about tax laws and real estate laws changing, maybe forcing you to sell at a loss just to avoid a bigger loss later. Landlords are not people sitting on the porch, drinking iced tea and twirling their mustache while the money gets delivered in big bags. There's a lot of work and stress that goes into it, just like most other jobs.