Real Estate Wealth

[Lance Turner]

Investors, 

I am in the process of building my portfolio.  I have 2 cashflowing SFHs and I'm working on #3.  I watched my sister build a portfolio beginning with a single house hack in 1994.  She added 1 or 2 additional SFHs over the next 10-15 years but really accelerated after 2008.  She wrapped up that page of life by selling an 8 unit, several SFHs and a couple small multi-family units over the last few years and transitioning to more passive investments. Needless to say she did well.

During that window I was serving in the military and did not believe I could invest.  I hear many testinonies of people that have absolutely changed their family trajectory through real estate investing.  When you do the math it seems most were heavily engaged before COVID and some even took advantage of the crisis of 2008.  

They were beneficiaries of some great markets.  I am doing ok, but my question is this.  Are the days of easy money through real estate investments gone?  Are we going to see returns that look like stock market numbers for the foreseeable future.  Did those of us that missed the opportunity after 2008, and most of the appreciation and interest rates of the Trump era just miss the train?  Are those kinds of opportunities just gone forever?  Can local investors in Real estate still gain returns that change family history?

[Remington Lyman]

Quote from @Lance Turner:

Investors, 

I am in the process of building my portfolio.  I have 2 cashflowing SFHs and I'm working on #3.  I watched my sister build a portfolio beginning with a single house hack in 1994.  She added 1 or 2 additional SFHs over the next 10-15 years but really accelerated after 2008.  She wrapped up that page of life by selling an 8 unit, several SFHs and a couple small multi-family units over the last few years and transitioning to more passive investments. Needless to say she did well.

During that window I was serving in the military and did not believe I could invest.  I hear many testinonies of people that have absolutely changed their family trajectory through real estate investing.  When you do the math it seems most were heavily engaged before COVID and some even took advantage of the crisis of 2008.  

They were beneficiaries of some great markets.  I am doing ok, but my question is this.  Are the days of easy money through real estate investments gone?  Are we going to see returns that look like stock market numbers for the foreseeable future.  Did those of us that missed the opportunity after 2008, and most of the appreciation and interest rates of the Trump era just miss the train?  Are those kinds of opportunities just gone forever?  Can local investors in Real estate still gain returns that change family history?

"Easy money" - I think this is a matter of perspective. People perceive that making money in real estate was easy 10 years ago because rents and prices have gone up so much. I believe that in 2035, people will be saying that making money in real estate was easy in 2025.