Investing in mutual funds or real estate????

Hi friends, I am thinking of investing my money in some mutual funds and was really confused about that. My cousins have been stressing on investing in real estate properties and they say that it is more beneficial than investing in any mutual funds. But when I have a look at some of the instances on properties I find that a bit risky. I need you people to justify on that so I can make my decisions from your suggestions.

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