RE investing when you have a highly successful career

[Chris Orlob]

Hi everyone,

First post here.

To what extent does real estate investing make sense if you have a highly successful career, and do not intend - or want - to make real estate a full-time career (as I've noticed many / most real estate investors have)?

Additional context, while sparing you some of the details:

I build B2B tech startups for a living, and that has been my primary wealth-generator in my life so far. I'm highly interested in investing in real estate to further multiply the wealth I've generated from startups, but not as a full time career, as I have no intention of leaving the world of tech startups, and love building them.

With all of that in mind, and respecting the fact that I could devote 10-15 hours per week to RE on top of what I do w/startups, to what extent does RE investing make sense for someone in my situation? Is it the equivalent of running a full-time business (as much of my reading has led me to believe)? Can it be done successfully alongside a demanding career? Are there certain types of real estate investing that DO make sense for someone like me (i.e. being an LP in apartment deals)? Are there other types that woul actively NOT make sense for me to consider given my situation?

Thanks for your patience. Could not find another post on the forum that answered this quite the way I'm looking to.

[Steve Vaughan]

Unless I needed to diversify my asset and tax classes, I wouldn't bother with RE.  

The legacy and long-term wealth benefits are undeniable but the learning curve and time/effort  burden are steep and there are a a lot of shyster operators out there. 

I'd own it with say or stay away.  Everything else is just a mutual fund with no liquidity or marketplace.