The previous article ran the numbers on a first rental property. This is the follow-up nobody writes: the ways to own real estate economically without becoming the person tenants call at 9pm.
The instinct to want real estate exposure is sound. The specific vehicle it defaults to, a physical property you manage, is just one of several ways to honor it.
Strip away the renovation fantasy and what real estate actually offers is three things: income that doesn't require your daily presence, an asset that holds value against inflation, and a return profile that doesn't move in lockstep with stocks. You can get all three without owning a single physical property. The alternatives exist. They're just harder to make go viral.