Since I have some time let's do some math.

Buying and renting out costs (550k property)
50k downpayment
50k renovation
25k legal fees and stamp duty
5k every 10 years to for repairs/upkeep

Let's say you rent out at 1.6k and your installment should be 2.3k per month for 30 years. Let's assume maintenance is 300 per month. So you still need to top up every month 1000. Over 360 months assuming all months rented, you have put in 360k + 140k. At this point it really depends how much the property is worth 30 years later.

If you put in the same amount into an investment instrument generating you 5%, after 30 years you get 1,442,201.41.

For me personally, I am debt free and my properties are fully paid. I now live free and cannot imagine working another few decades to pay for the properties and manage the tenants. Perhaps the hybrid approach is to invest the money that you have first. Once you have grown them enough, then you pay half the property's price and in that case rent can cover the installment.

one thing stays the same, the same group of ppl in the last 11 years and more to go.. they always use figures which doesn't make sense. don't compare base on your own narrative, it's literally plucking figures out from thin air.. some says ass.

1. fd ever give you 5%? which investment instrument give you 5% gurantee for god damn 30 years!. don't tell me kwsp i have 5000+ going into it monthly. i don't want all my money in the same basket.

2. you want to use a property as comparison can do abit homework? what shit investment rm550k fully furnished and getting only rm1.6k back. now let me give you a realistic one with the damn condo name.

serin residence 144sft, 550k fully furnished unit rental rm2.2k - 2.5k. i have few.. not one of two but few colleagues renting there.

verdi 990sft, 420k basic Ikea furnishing my contract staff is renting for rm2k! i have more to share but all these are in Cyberjaya.. they are not even in hotspots like bukit jalil, kl or pj.

add in one more.. kota warisan bought at rm550k landed, empty unit! rental rm1.6k.

of course if you have a prop bought in 2018 like me you would have make a lost but that's the same with all kind of investment. the same property i had while I'm debating with this numb skull iceman in 2012 it's still generating me surplus income in the last 11 years. prop name puri aiyu condo.

3. you dare give a span of 30 years to compare. my god property has a good track record they don't lie.
40 years - PJ - property once sold for rm120k is now rm900k.. maybe rm850k
30 years - subang - property once sold for rm200k is now approx 700k
20 years - puchong - those sold at 300k+ is now all > rm500k

i dont want to mention other places like bukit jalil, setia alam, kota kemuning but you get the idea..

anyway they're also bad property investment. one very good example is those who bought rm720k - 780k for Savannah in bukit jalil. someone brought it up here.. those are the properties which i call bad investment cause during that period, that time of the year  the place isn't really a hotspot and selling at those kind of prices and still ppl buy em. well they just gotta hold longer period of time.

i so happen have a colleague who owns a unit there. we told him to hold and get others but somehow he kind the place so he gave to bite the bullets and continue on with his dream home idea.