Is it worth it?

[Jennifer Fernéz]

This post is for experienced landlords. Is it worth it? I'm saving money and thinking about how I want to spend my savings down the road. I'm 31 years old, I have a 2 year old and a baby on the way. In the next 5 years I'd like to save $20K. The question is, is land lording worth it? How much extra do landlords make per year? How many properties do you need to own to make it worth it? How long does it usually take you to make the money back you spent in for the downpayment? Would it be easier to lend my money as a hard money loan and make 10-15% back? Or, I could spend my savings buying a bigger house for my family to live in. Forget about real estate investing and just spend on ourselves. We live in a modest home already, but if we sold our home in 5 years and used the money saved we could buy a very nice 'upper class' home to live in. What would you do? Is land lording worth it? My husband and I are not handy with plumbing, electric, or anything like that which worries me. Any advice or thoughts are appreciated. I'd love to hear other's experiences since I've never owned a rental property and don't know if it's right for us.