Ive seen debates about whether to "gamble" with appreciation.  

That's one helluva gamble with absolutely no guarantees that they will call off the auction.

My wife also had the notion that investing was pretty much the same as gambling.

This would be a fixer up and not something I would want to gamble on for my first MHP...

@Adrian Chu Flipping IE is a popular sport. 

Finished, rent will be approaching the $800-900pm mark.Admittedly one house we bought for $15k was done for sport.

Without any income coming into you weekly you are taking a gamble that this free mobile home will be quick to repair, attractive to buyers, and lucrative enough to generate a nice payday or monthly income when rented or sold.

I think a lot has to do also with how you both like to learn, I spent a lot of time growing up traveling for sports so I got used to working online at a young age and I did not miss the classroom interaction and anytime I did have an issue I just emailed them and someone would get back to me pretty quickly.

I was going to post this a few days ago, but had trouble with the site, so here it goes:Thanks for being open and a good sport. 

it's a contact sport, the more people you contact, the better you'll do.