I think RE prices on the West Coast are much more volatile than what we see in the Midwest.  

I was booted out of the International Physicist's Consortium because I theorized that the quantum wave length of cobalt 7 added to the instability of the linear mass of Wall Street's hyper volatility leading to the melt down in 2008.

I think long term we are way less volatile than some California markets (as seen in the last downturn) so there is some sense of security holding through whatever is to come - in my opinion.     

Less volatility.

As far as the stock market goes your money is at significantly more risk than a savings account and it is very volatile in the short term however over long term (10+ years) low cost index funds have proved themselves reliable, unfortunately this isn't a feasible time frame if you are saving for a down payment in most cases.

They are far more volatile than stable cash-flowing markets in the Midwest and South.

You wouldn't want to put it in anything too volatile. https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/banking/best-high-...

"Caviar seeks to reduce investment volatility (“beta”) while capturing higher than average rates of return (“alpha”).

I would not put reserves in anything risky/volatile. 

Those will give you real estate experience and good returns, without the volatility of the stock market - assuming proper due diligence.