All the gambling whales would travel all different casino in the world. 

Too many high flyers, with access to too much money, who are gambling that the Fog City merry-go-round will never stop!...

Rule number 1 "Make your money when you buy" ( If you are hoping to make money when you sell,  then you are not investing you are Gambling) 2 ways to make money when you buy  1: Buy the property well below market value so you have instant Equity.  2: Buy a property and ADD value (rehab,update,or add amenities) If you solely rely on appreciation you could find your self holding the bag if the market turns south.  

It's just a "boring" midwestern tech city with extremely strong housing demand due to our own local tech boom and the unusually low inventory for this part of the county...And previously where the entire midwest was mostly about cashflow (eg James Wise type places) now Columbus is changing to an appreciation market, even moreso than the rest of the country.Another however: betting on continued appreciation can be just speculative gambling, especially assuming we will have 21% ..

However, I would gamble that $10k will be forgiven. 

Some people make money gambling, selling drugs, robbing banks or begging on the street - none of those professions suit my personality or risk profile.

It's a roll of the dice, and I don't want to gamble when it comes to my investment or my cashflow.

@Zachary Wurtz  I'm sure you don't intend it.....but this is how most folks on this forum will hear your comments:  "Hey everyone, I'd like to go to the casino and spend an evening gambling....would any of you let me use your money?

I do not have the capital to invest in the expensive market that I live in, and am not looking to gamble on California appreciation, so investing long-distance was my only choice.

However, I personally see flipping success as being similar to gambling in Las Vegas.