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Updated almost 10 years ago,
Newbie considering real estate investment
Greetings. Mike here from... actually it doesn't matter because when I finish grad school eventually, I'll be somewhere far away, but I don't know where now.
I am considering learning about real estate investment, but I'm not sure it's right for me. The first decision would be buying vs. renting wherever I end up, with the idea of potentially turning the property into a rental after moving out eventually. I'd appreciate any perspective here or perhaps a suggestion about which subforum is most appropriate for more general and theoretical inquiries.
Background:
I have zero interest in day-to-day property management, zero interest in fixing properties, little interest in finding good values on the market, and little interest in spending much time on this after doing the research. Presumably unlike many others here, I don't have a preference for physical securities and a hands-on approach. I am a buy-and-hold investor who prefers (and currently owns) stock and bond index funds to gain controlled market exposure, so my interest is really just in risk hedging and diversification—or potentially higher profits.
My aim is to divert much of my income to investments that will help me achieve financial independence at a relatively early age, retaining a realistic perspective about cyclical market conditions, loss, risk, and expected returns.
Thanks.