• MajorHavoc@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        True. Outright rent-seeking is certainly typically safer than flipping.

        I think the risks that crushed Zillow are still relevant: Trying to do something at national scale requires a situation where lack of local knowledge is unnecessary. And housing has proven a few times not to be that.

        I would bet on Amazon to come up with an “investment” scheme that externalizes the extreme local market risks to their “partners”.

          • MajorHavoc@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Agreed on all points.

            Some communities pass laws to keep investor landlords out entirely.

            Amazon buying rental property might also be ruled illegal under current anti-trust laws.

            I don’t know the best approach, but I don’t expect good things to come from Amazon getting into the landlord business.