This is why the only real estate I now care to own is the piece I live on. I can sell a stock, mutual fund, or bond I own tomorrow, by picking up a phone, or a click of the mouse. Real estate? Well, that's another story...despite the old saying that "God quit making land, while he keeps making people"...in real estate, first you gotta find a buyer if you want to sell.
One of the happiest days in my life was when I sold real estate, bought as an investment, for more than I paid for it...after years of watching it's value plummet while it's tax burden climbed.