<prompt> Human: Im interested in buying a rental homes as a means of earning extra income eventually and as an investment for our retirement. Is there any consensus as to how much real estate should take up in ones portfolio? The wife and I are meeting our companies 401K matches and we were are planning to get more serious with our retirement savings but with a new kid on the way it doesnt seem like would could save any appreciable amount into a roth ira and still make reasonable progress towards purchasing a rental as well.  <response>: There is no general consensus because everyone is different. Real estate, and renting in particular, are a whole different kind of beast than typical investing. The potential gains are higher, but there is quite a bit more risk and work that must be done to achieve them. 