I have always heard on podcasts that you should not necessarily invest for appreciation only, and should just view it as icing on the cake.

But the numbers I've seen are certainly icing on the cake :)What led you to investing in RE?

So I purchased my first home as an investment short term rental near Disneyland in Anaheim CA.

If you are willing to buy a multi-unit home, owning would almost always take the cake.

If you can cash flow from house hacking then that is icing on the cake.

It's just icing on the cake.

@Aidan MulliganSec 8 in my area is a piece of cake.

You can have your cake and eat it too.Feel free to ask me any questions.

(Please consult a Tax Advisor on this though)Depending on your 401K plan, you can have your cake and eat it too though...

Most successful REI have their personal finances basically in order (the "101" level stuff, like 1/3 of income on housing & not having a ridiculously expensive car payment) before getting into real estate investing, they don't get into it with two nickles to rub together as some sort of "get rich quick" scheme.If we're following that 33% rule either way (rent v own), then homeownership then becomes more of a family lifestyle choice than an investment strategy, though if you get lucky with appreciation like @Jay Hinrichs that's certainly icing on the cake too.My $0.02 as someone that looks over a lot of people's personal finances - successful people, and otherwise.