Can Real Estate create Happiness?

[Andrew Perkins]

Hello!

A friend and I have recently begun sitting down with people who identify as “Happy”, and trying to find out what that means to them. It made me curious, as a part of the biggerpockets community, how real estate can impact happiness.

As a quick example for me - my wife and I started investing in real estate a couple years ago have just a couple SFRs so far. We aren’t making tons of profit yet, but some of the things that it has given us so far, I feel greatly contribute to happiness. It’s given us something to build. Something to pass down to our children. It’s forced me to learn and grow! I’m reading books again, listening to successful people, trying to do what they do. It has made me so excited for the future, and I’ve realized that the possibilities are endless. It’s even benefited my (non real estate) career. I’ve learned from the podcast that small steps lead to great things, and that momentum can be created! The list goes on and on, and it’s all originated from real estate - or more specifically, biggerpockets.

So, what I’m really wondering is - Is this unique at all to real estate? Or rather, is real estate a vehicle that can generate happiness more effectively than other paths?

[Pat L.]

Old guy here...

It was a tough knuckle busting, very frugal few years, complete with many sleepless nights as rehab costs & interest rates of 18% ate into rents. Then came a very early retirement from that well paying JOB..

Looking back I was definitely happier spending all my spare time/vacations, blood sweat & tears & disposable cash on rundown properties, than going to work each day in a beat up vehicle no-one would ride in.

The years of tenant drama, rehabs & 'oh no' surprises still bring a lot of smiles & hearty laughs as we tell our REI active kids our war stories.

It's definitely an adventure !!!