Is it taboo to ask what someone purchased a house for?

[Benjamin Leung]

So I met someone in my degree program today and asked if he managed to find a place as we have all moved here from out of state. This is kind of a standard question among all the newcomers. He mentioned to me that he had purchased a house to flip. Now, I have been really trying to get my feet under me with purchasing a rental and I really am not interested in flipping houses where we are. I said that I was trying to purchasing a rental and I asked him what he purchased it for and what was he trying to sell it for. He was pretty taken aback by the question and it seemed to really offend him.

I personally don't have any issue with sharing this information with someone since its something people can look up on most sites and I don't ask any really specific questions but I felt bad that it offended someone. Did I make a faux pas by asking about this? I would have thought from one real estate investor to another that it would have been fine but it seemed to really bother him and I don't want to offend anyone in the future.

Alternatively, if it is offensive, should I just not ask anyone this in the real estate community about the projects they are working on?