I am gambling on being deflationary for at least the rest of this year.

Betting on appreciation is a gamble that many have lost.

I guess it's a bit of a gamble here because of the jobs situation. people have used Vallejo as the affordable bedroom community and then making the 1 to 1.5 hour commute each way to where the jobs are.

As much as gambling and wealth acquisition DON'T go together, I'd like to relax in Vegas for a week.

By planning ahead, foreign real estate investors can still minimize or eliminate some U.S. tax consequences of their investment by using offshore corporations.

However, as I said earlier, the real question is whether this is the best use of your money and is the long term gamble worth the month-in and month-out loss?"

There is probably two to three times that amount sitting offshore.

I guess I'll do as you suggested and go sit in at a few sheriff sales before I actually bid because I dont want to take a gamble on a dud property.

You can see similar economics at top law firms, where associates work 80 or more hours per week for several years for the 10% chance of making partner with a 7-figure income.It appears as if some people have a natural tendency to gamble and these are the ones who decide to start businesses.

I noticed you are in California.Many investors are not purchasing there that live there.They are looking at Florida,Georgia,etc. where you can buy multiple properties cheap that cash flow well.California tends to be more of a speculative market where the markets can swing wildly and many take a gamble on appreciation.You just need to define what you want your plan to be.About what range do you have to put down??