One moment it ignites a fire within us, filling us with enthusiasm and drive to accomplish our most ambitious goals.

Don't get me wrong; there are plenty of issues/problems/quirks that old houses have that new houses don't, and an old house can obviously have hidden problems and big repair/maintenance bills too...but, the point is: a brand new house is not a foolproof solution to repairs/maintenance (and in some cases, a brand new house can be a much bigger gamble than an older house).This is a particularly important lesson for inexperienced investors, who tend to be the most prone to "shiny object syndrome" (the tendency to let nice aesthetics distract from real, underlying issues).

Only see what it has done and that isn't saying much in the markets I gamble on.

If you want to invest in Boise and are trying to time the market in expectation of a significant correction, that is a gamble.

What do you do if someone or faulty wire ignites the entire home.

But this was interesting enough to take a little gamble on. 

You can't make the 1% rule here without going to a bad area, and I'd rather get a higher return out of state than gamble on appreciation.

I know that we're slimming down our options, but I just don't like tying in our primary residence for such a "gamble."

@Dan Tunstall no different than Las Vegas gambling stories - you only here about how much they won, NOT about how much they lost before that "big" win.We've helped many investors figure out if the City of Detroit or the Ring Cities are better for them and then helped them invest for success.What else would you like to know?

I have an unorthodox profession(professional gambling) that has allowed me to stockpile a great amount of start up capital and I hope to slowly start to transition into real estate to build long term wealth.