Real estate as an investment is more comfortable rather than stocks, when owning a piece of real estate you are the primary owner. With owning your own property you can do as you please, but when owning a stock you are a minority in a company that you have little to no say in how the company runs, but when owning your own piece of property you have all the say. Even in a down market for real estate, if you have a rental income you can still make it through that time. In conclusion real estate is a good investment when the market is up, but this type of investment may not be for everyone.