Real estate can be a great way to earn passive income. However, there are some drawbacks to buying a rental property. The initial expense can be high when factoring in the down payment, closing costs, and needed repairs. On top of that, the income isn't always passive (you have to do some work to find a tenant and manage the property) or stable (unplanned expenses can turn a property from a money maker to a money pit).

The good news is that there's a much easier (and lower cost) way to start making passive income from real estate. Real estate investment trusts (REITs) allow anyone to benefit from owning income-producing real estate. They're super low-cost (usually less than $100 per share) and extremely passive investments. Three great REITs for beginning investors are Camden Property (NYSE: CPT), Equity Lifestyle (NYSE: ELS), and Invitation Homes (NYSE: INVH).

Camden Property is a residential REIT focused on owning apartments. It currently has 172 operating apartment communities with nearly 59,000 units across 15 markets, primarily in the southern half of the country. The company concentrates on markets with above-average population and job-growth rates. Those factors drive demand for housing, keeping occupancy high across its portfolio, enabling the REIT to steadily raise rents.

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Source Fool.com