Overview and Thoughts for Investment Capital

What are the competing alternatives for investment capital? What is it that distinguishes investment in real estate from Stocks, Bonds, Mutual Funds, Government Certificates, other Business Ventures, and traditional savings accounts? What are the investment backed expectations of participants in the real estate market? What are the management, capital, debt, risk, liquidity and other aspects of real estate versus other investment alternatives?

What is it the investor is looking for and how would the investor value the economic characteristics of an investment return involving real estate? What is it that the real estate broker, the appraiser, the banker or passive investor is looking for in the real estate investment? Are the elements all the same? Are the discretionary choices the same? Are the interests to be realized from the investment the same? Are the risks the same?