I can't count the times I've heard people say they considered buying a rental property before they bought a home but they didn't want to be a landlord. There's a reason for it, you either pay people like VC to do all that work or you learn to do it yourself. In that regard it's more than just an investment, it often times comes with a whole lot of sweat equity put into it. When I bought mine, I was working 40 to 60 hours a week, had two toddlers, and after having come home from work, get the kids settled, made dinner, mowed the lawn, I'd have to go next door and work the rest of the night. I actually prefer people stay two to three years over five, six or seven because the amount of remodeling needing to be done increases each additional year they stay there. Then you have to have it inspected every few years which comes with it owns demands. On the other hand, I've never been a greedy landlord trying to take the every dime some people make. I've actually helped a whole lot of young couples be able to save for their own homes, I've had more people moved out buying their own place than those who have not. I am always below market rate, now a days quite a bit lower. I live in a high demand area where people are paying thousands to rent some of the houses around me and I am below a thousand for a three bedroom duplex. When I don't want people knowing all my business, like doing surveys for example, I just put down landlord despite it's not a full time job, doesn't mean it doesn't add up to that at times because it does. Being good at it means learning a whole lot of skills, and if it doesn't mean going up on the main roof or getting into the main electrical panel, furnace, repair, I can usually fix anything.