Originally posted by @Nathan Faucett:This is such an interesting conversation because it sort of relates to my other hobbies - Tabletop Board Games.In some styles of games, you build an "engine" - something that generates a resource for you so that you can go and build your engine bigger so you can create even more resources.

If you bleed money every month, it is a bad investment or hobby.

Mechanical Engineer full-time and REI is my hobby but want to switch that around someday.

If it does not, you just bough an expensive hobby. 

Prior to these investments we owned and rented out two single family long-term in CO.We are a lot slower with investing - right now more like a hobby because I run an agency company and that takes literally all my time. 

Get really good at something, become a "high earner" and make your investment vehicle (or hobby) real estate. 

I am sure I could have made a lot more money but I do this for fun.I compare the way I do real estate investing like some other people look at Golf, deep sea fishing or some other high end hobby. 

Sometimes, small strange rooms should be staged as a hobby room and not bedrooms, etc.  

However, up until the last 6 months or so, it was not much more than a hobby.

In fact, my wife has been spending a bit of extra money on a hobby recently and I had been a little worried that we weren't saving enough money to make a real effort toward paying off the mortgage early.