A Young Couple Wants to Know: Should We Invest in More Real Estate?

Austin Laue and Megan Laue bought their first home last year in Northbrook, Ill., near Chicago. Now they’re considering whether buying more real estate is a good way to build wealth.

Mr. Laue, 29, works in tech, and Mrs. Laue, 28, is an educator. Together they earn about $255,000 a year. In addition to contributing more than 10% of their combined income to workplace retirement-savings plans, they’ve been able to save about $45,000 in cash and build an investment portfolio worth $222,000. They estimate their total assets to be about $683,000, which includes a $32,000 emergency fund, more than $200,000 in retirement savings and $145,000 in equity on their home, for which they paid $705,000 in 2022.