https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19712057#
Always wondered this. Sometimes I feel the need to do something else outside my field, and possibly get some money out of it.
A lot of my other hobbies are not money makers but at least money savers. I have a garden, hunt, brew my own beer, make my own wine, and perform all sorts of home repair.
I get the hate for slumlords, but I've never understood how being a landlord is any different than providing any other product or service. You've spent your own capital, taken the risk, leveraged, invested effort, etc., to developing this product/service that offers value. It allows someone without the same risk tolerance or upfront capital to have a place to live and—potentially—enjoy colocation to other amenities.
Would people feel differently if you built the house yourself? What is the threshold of required "value add" that people don't see it as "rent seeking"? Not sure how it is different than buying a failing business and revamping it. Or Microsoft acquiring GitHub and adding features.
Very much open to having someone who holds this view provide their two cents; I'm genuinely interested in developing a more nuanced opinion on this subject.
I make beer money at most, nothing ground breaking but its fun to ride a bike, tell people about the history in my city and meet fun people.