Betting on appreciation isn't gambling. 

Unless you have a plan to pay it off in a few months otherwise this approach will eat up all the cash flow and buying a property without positive cash flow is purely gambling. 

Minor framing, drywall, painting, tilework and finishing were all in my wheelhouse, but I knew better than to gamble on the trades and called out subs to quote me on electrical, plumbing and HVAC.

On all of the properties my wife and I have rented out while we were still on the other side, we just took a gamble.

My home in Macae is on a hill, across the highway from Praia do Pecado, or Sin Beach, the surf beach next to a three mile lake on the beach with three Islands offshore in the Petroleum Capital of Brazil.

FTE is off shore.

It's a gamble, but the discount is steep. 

Now, with that said, if they have the ability to purchase the property and resell it- that's a different story, but most are having people take their property off the market, on a gamble that they can find a buyer, and then take a substantial amount of the sellers equity for it.

Either self-manage like many on here do, or hire an inexpensive offshore PM who works US hours & speaks eloquent English (that’s what I do).

But it is ok with you to gamble with your money sending a ton of mailers and 3%  will contact you?