So if the difference between current and market rent is truly $500, we would raise rent $250.You don't want to stall out on making progress toward market rent, but we like to keep good tenants a bit below market rent both as a reward and as an incentive to stay since they won't find comparable units if they shop around.

Having said that, life is not all about the money, and as others have said, spending some time and effort to help another person experiencing a tragedy can be as rewarding to you as it is to them.

@Costin IorgulescuAs I noted, if investing in rental property will produce better results in terms of risk/reward than continuing to invest in the stock market only, then it is the right move.There is no apples-to-apples comparison between you personally investing in real estate and your IRA investing in real estate, just as comparing you investing in stocks with personal funds would also be very different from you investing in stocks with your IRA. 

With the highs/lows and risks/rewards that comes with that. 

Dollar profit might be bigger but the %age profit is smaller and for a larger outlay (higher risk) most people would want a higher reward.

It's been rewarding for me.

Living a frugal lifestyle is/can be just as rewarding as spending beyond your means.Remember investing is a long term plan not a race.

Real Estate is extremely rewarding on so many levels but just like anything no short cuts.

I pulled the trigger a few years ago and am still doing real estate on the side; happy I got into it, definitely rewarding! 

Commit to the process of becoming a regular Pittsburgh investor, hang out here on BP with the Pittsburghers, study the city, its history, its culture, and its strangeness, and eventually you will be richly rewarded.