Our prices are less volatile that the markets that experienced the stratospheric price appreciation but that also suffered the crushing retrenchment after the bubble burst.  

I prefer the greater metro Detroit. you can get the same ROI in a much less volatile environment if you know where to look.

I'm no real estate expert, but I think you'll find this area to be expensive to invest in, though less volatile than other areas.

I chose a market that is way less volatile than Southern California on purpose.  

I'll even go one further and say that some of my most successful and profitable have been "0.75% deals" ... so to me the 2% rule is less than worthless as it will tend to get you into low quality properties in low quality neighborhoods where you have low quality tenants resulting in low quality, highly volatile, and very management intensive cash flow along with zero appreciaiton (actually, negative appreciation after factoring in inflation) in both prices and rents.

I'm now very curious about your story, specifically, what growth strategies you use to prevent yourself from being rocked by market volatility.

Un-paralleled revenue sharing - reduces the volatility of commissions-only income and provides an exit strategy from the business to compensates for REALTORS' lack of 401K and retirement plans.PM me if you'd like to learn more! 

@Getachew Hundera,Another source of private lenders is anyone with whom you establish a personal relationship (prerequisite to private lending per the SEC) who would consider investing in your deal.Essentially, it could be anyone who is nervous about the risk and volatility of the stock or other markets and is looking for a safer investment secured by real property.Learn how to attract and engage private lenders other than your family and your current friends and associates.

They don't just jump up and grab you, but it's a fair bet that active investors in your area know people with retirement accounts who are looking for safer investments and less volatility than the stock market.Network with other investors.

While some seniors may have also invested in stocks and bonds, these investment options may be more volatile than real estate.Additionally, with rental properties, investors have the added benefit of collecting rental income even when the market is in a downswing.The 2014 Investment and Vacation Home Buyers Survey found 34 percent of investment buyers wanted to diversify their investments or wanted to take advantage of a great investment.Learn what investment real estate can do for your portfolio.