It was interesting to me that some of the marginal inland areas like Riverside and Sacramento rise towards coastal levels during booms, then head back toward US levels during busts..BUT IT'S NOT ALL FUN AND GAMESCA is volatile!

These have historically more similar to bonds than real estate (and produced higher returns with less volatility than bonds).

Hi Katrina,First piece of advice stay away from stocks the market is to volatile. 

Jumping into REI can be overwhelming at first with the different lingo, terms, avenues to choose from...not to mention the volatile market right now.

In understanding your number, multi-family real estate is a great asset class to consider because of its tax benefits and low volatility/risk adjusted returns.

Make sure there is more than one established industry that is creating jobs and be wary of areas that rely heavily on industries that are volatile by nature and cycle through booms and busts regularly.

How much volatility are you comfortable with?

Bonds are more stable, consistent, you know what you're going to get vs stocks which are a little more volatile, but offer a higher return.

Cash flow rentals tend to be more prominent in the Midwest whereas investing for appreciation/flipping potential could be higher on the coasts where values are more volatile.

It is not a get rich quick book but a slow march through the most volatile market in history.