I used real estate as a vehicle to acquire these things.

@Gerald McPhail Way to go and good luck on the road ahead! 

This type of classification is identical to that of a vehicle.

In terms of other activities, you should make sure to line up the inspection, title, escrow and insurance company ahead of time.

You can find properties yourself as an agent, and be ahead of the game before other investors. 

If so, you would probably end up ahead using a realtor.

If you think so, go ahead and reach out!

In the 3- Star property segment, price declines were less pronounced, falling about 15% from the peak where deals once traded for approximately $210,000 per door.In addition to asset quality, investors adapted their approaches to stay ahead of rent growth, leading to noticeable shifts in sales volume rankings.

A good majority of people will recommend stocks as a trustworthy investment vehicle (whether it be indices or individual stocks), and that's what I would recommend also; however, if you don't know much about the stock market, you're better off leaving your money in CASH.

But a commuter trades some housing expense for the home and instead have $400 up in commute costs (plus wear & tear on vehicle and lost time, say 2 hours each way - pre COVID - better than 2 hours until normal commute resumes).