Real Estate vs. Stocks: The Honest Comparison

Unleveraged real estate has historically returned 8–10% — roughly in line with the S&P 500. Leveraged real estate (4x via 25% down) magnifies that to 20–30%+ before tax benefits.

Real estate's true advantage isn't yield — it's the combination of leverage, depreciation, and 1031 exchanges that compound after-tax wealth at rates stocks cannot match for accredited investors.

The trade-off is time and operational complexity. If you can't commit 5–10 hours per property per month (or pay someone who can), stocks win on risk-adjusted returns.