Imagine if I had invested in the early 2000's, yes even just before the 2008 crash, fast forward two decades and it likely would have still been a positive investment.* (I did in fact own several properties between 2005-2008, I sold my first home in Tamarac Florida months before the crash, today that property is worth considerably more than I purchased or sold it for.)The point is, investing has a large part to do with duration.

Also, As Marcus alluded to it started coming out of the GFC where deals were once in a lifetime type pricing I don't see builders ever catching up at least not in the short term what's happened with covid was not a real estate crash but a huge crash to the supply chain and price of components which has risen the cost to build a home significantly and land prices keep rising. 

Plus if the market does crash, it will be harder to get loans, most people will be even more scared to buy than they are now, interest rates may be higher, and everything will probably be more difficult in terms of management, placing quality tenants with good income, etc. so unless you're an experienced cash buyer willing to make bold moves in a down market, with an uncanny ability to time the market perfectly, and have large reserves to continue riding out the storm if it continues longer than anticipated, then you probably won't actually succeed at buying at the bottom anyway.

They didn't have occupancy challenges during the crash, but rents were relatively low.

The good news is that the housing crash (start to finish) took 5 years from first warning to the bottom.

Today, it is 0.4 months.I can show more stats but I think you will agree that there is little to indicate a crash.

If you don't think see the validity in the comparison, and you accept the fact that anyone can learn enough about REI through casual resources, and that the limited success gained of those casual resources is fine and acceptable, and the idea of looking beyond the simple and striving for better rather than accepting limits, then go ahead and change the surgeon to (choose any of the above) the:1 - Engineer that designed the structure of the building you work in, 2 - Person cutting your hair,3 - Accountant that does you taxes,4 - Air Traffic Controller that keeps planes from crashing,5 - The Pilot the flies those planes,6 - The Captain that sails the cruise ships,7 - Electrician that wired your house,8 - The plumber that plumbed your house,9 - Pharmacist that dispenses your meds10 - Software Engineer that designed the software you use,11 - ...I'm sure others can add to this list. 

Fast forward to the 2008 crash, it hit him hard and he left his properties to the banks.

I'm trying to find an area of the city that will be safe to invest in, in the case of a stock market crash, as i want to be able to sell those rentals at any time.

I’d much rather invest in an unregulated market and let it crash and burn with bad products and then everyone will be afraid to invest in them again.