Real Estate Technology

[Steven Bishop]

Hi folks,

I am new to BiggerPockets and am just starting to educate myself about real estate investing.  My question is somewhat existential and/or theoretical at this point but I wanted to get some thoughts from the collective wisdom of the BP community. 

A lot of industries are going through significant technological changes and real estate is no different.  I have been reading quite a bit about 3-D printing and its possible ability to revolutionize the construction industry.  For example, the company WinSun has been able to use this tech to build large-scale projects rapidly and at low-cost:  http://time.com/3674557/3d-printed-apartment-build....  

Do you all think this technology will change the way we invest in RE?  If the RE market becomes very efficient or houses become a cheap, easily replaced commodity, how would you make a profit from RE other than starting your own construction firm?  Just some food for thought, would love to hear opinions on this!