As far as learning through those investments, I'm not sure it would give you any great insight.I personally prefer REITs to CF but if your time horizon is that short you're better off not getting into the stock price volatility of a REIT stock.

Do I take the $120K and save it for a potential recession stock buy? 

Also, if you know the winning lottery numbers and when the stocks will gain and when the next hurricane will hit, let me know.

For example, my goal is to have investments that will beat the long term average stock market return of 6% - 8% and not correlate with stock/bond market performance.You need to tally all of your up-front costs, such as the $350k, closing costs, rehab costs if any, etc.  

I want to start now, instead of sitting on capital and spending it on dumb things like a $60,000 car or blowing it on stocks or.. you get the idea, trying to put it to good use!

definitely do not invest security deposits in stocks - it isn't your money... yet.  

As investors we are looking for what wooden box / stock / index will pay us the most.

The rise of Foreign Auto eating into the Domestic Auto Markets was a sure sign, all you had to do was look at the stocks of each of the big 3.

@Gary Montgomery, Hello, your thinking is like a daytrader in the Stock Market instead of like an Investor.

When things go bust for the major employer, the whole town gets decimated.Picking diverse markets for REI is similar to stock market diversification; it spreads the risk.Must you always have your secondary market out-of-state?