RatInTheWoods makes a good point about rental income increasing at a greater rate than inflation. My rents have gone up an average of 6% per year over the past decade or so, which handily beats inflation.
Regarding investing in a niche site vs real estate: they have completely different risk profiles, so niche site requires more than 5% to justify the additional risk (also it's not very passive if you have to work on it to maintain or grow).
Regarding investing in a niche site vs real estate: they have completely different risk profiles, so niche site requires more than 5% to justify the additional risk (also it's not very passive if you have to work on it to maintain or grow).