I also read in real estate by the numbers that it's risky to bet on market appreciation.

My son just joined the Navy and now that I’m an empty nester I want to make a shift and bet on myself!

I'd bet if there were a good field of competition the price would drop

@DeBret McGee IIYour best bet is to secure a deal with creative financing, seller financing or meter lease options.

If not, buying a turnkey, rent-ready property could be a better first bet.

I could maybe sign up with that theory if the GPs were using the side hustle money as a way of cutting or eliminating their fees & salaries altogether while they try to hang in long enough to hope for enough rate cuts to refinance or the market to unfreeze and let them unload at least at break-even, but I bet none of them do anything of the kind. 

One of the closets has this hideuos foam column. 

If you are in a high fire zone, the California Fair Plan is likely your best bet.

bet dollars to donuts its leveraged to the eyeballs. 

Hell, I might be even-steven if we had one, and I'd bet money @Russell Brazil and @Nathan Gesner would be there with me despite the fact they're two of the smartest dudes in here because they're not soft pedalers.