I assure that is the conversation in those board rooms "ah, almost feel sorry for the suckers, but hey, business is business". 

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

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

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

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.

Most criminals defrauded the IRSI wonder what would happen if the people who combined lost like $2M all sent 1099's to him-I bet that would wake up the IRS but not sure if it would impact their claim later on.