On the smaller scale, and for certain kinds of multi family purchases, government-backed financing is available and it is usually cheaper than what one might find on the private market
You get $500k in capital gains waived when you sell your house in California. You don't get that with GameStop stock
Doesn't that exclusion also exist at the federal level?
CA's property taxes along with 1031 exchanges mean housing investments are favorable to other types, when it should be the other way around.
Not for the mortgage itself, but real estate investors typically pay very little tax on their rental income. You can take depreciation, and deduct maintenance/repairs, property management fees, property taxes, insurance, etc. in addition to mortgage interest.
Are you suggesting a business should pay tax on the gross income, regardless of their costs? A store should pay income tax on the gross sales, without deducting the cost of purchasing the things they later sell?