I do recall hearing that the Birmingham market never fell as far as other markets, and therefore, did not have as far to return, but that could all be just pure speculation.

Buying land is very speculative.

Are you planning to partially develop and sell lots or put houses or commercial buildings or just speculate that you can resell at a profit in the future?  

If you dont exchange, figure losing 1/3 of that, plus selling costs.That is why those two guys told you to be patient, learn, and come up with a strategy that will likely make money versus speculation.

You can't "Add Value" to a Stock.Stocks can and do go to zero--not so with real estate.Stocks are pure speculation.

More suitable for speculating on appreciation.

I'm looking for anything that could pass a 0.8% rule deal five years from now (I'm speculating on future appreciation).  

If so there are about 15 or 20 different syndication/crowdfunding funds that are available, that span from conservative core plus real estate (like Blackstone BREIT that invests in multifamily and commercial real estate) to very aggressive/speculative ground up construction (like some of the Fundrise funds that invest in building brand-new houses) and everything in between.

A lot of speculation going on there.

Even though I'm already an international investor, I wouldn't invest today as it's way too early, risky and speculative to my taste and there are much better places to invest internationally in my opinion.