Being a landlord is a full-time job, and very risky. Just building housing for sale is also a full-time job, and not exactly easy to do. You can't just give a

Being a landlord is a full-time job, and very risky. Just building housing for sale is also a full-time job, and not exactly easy to do. You can't just give a pile of cash to a general contractor and expect a perfect, turn-key house as a result. There's a reason that companies specialize in the things you suggest here. Of course, you could just invest in those companies, but that's no different than investing in any stock.