I could never keep reserves in stocks due to the volatility, so my reserves would be in savings, CD ladders etc.

Not dissimilar to looking at a stock portfolio – I want to know which companies you own, what the dividend yields are, volatility, cost basis, exposures, etc. – not the fact that you own 12 different stocks.

You can buy a portfolio of stocks and bonds that has very high volatility and risk or a portfolio of rental properties with relative low volatility and risk.

There is nothing to fear about this market or its volatility ... market volatility can be your best friend if you know what you are doing and play it right on the upside, and engineer your investments so it cannot hurt you on the downside.

It's also slightly volatile, since new supervisors could be elected and decide to fire you without any just cause.

Currently as Hedge Funds are experiencing major outflows and high volatility we are seeing these large institutions begin to invest largely in commercial real estate to provide a base line growth from the steady returns commercial real estate provides.

I think the Midwest is less volatile.

We have a few SFR rental properties (bought at top of market) ,  stocks and bonds in 401K and taxable accounts.So we are looking for alternative investments to the volatile stock market, and would like to invest more into RE for cash flow and tax benefits.Should we invest locally (numbers dont make sense) or out-of-state (which market) ?

(Right now it is about 1% lower than when I bought)Full transparency in option 2 - I know the market and economy are extremely volatile, and anything can happen, however the city I live in (Raleigh NC) has been continuously exploding over the past decade.

With low bank interest rates and a volatile equities market, more and more monies are finding their way into real estate investments and it has made finding deals difficult in many areas.