real estate v/s stocks – which is better ?

if you had to choose between real estate and stocks – which is better ?

for real estate

you have to put in a lot of money initially – the down payment is 20 % typically

it takes time to sell – not very liquid

you have to pay real estate taxes and maintenance

for investment real estate , you can get a net positive cash flow if your buying price is right

for stocks

the initial investment is low

there are no taxes to pay , no maintenance charges to pay

you do have to pay brokerage for buying and selling stocks

stocks are liquid – you can sell within a few minutes and the money can come into your account within 2 – 3 days