It's possible to make money owning condos but it's a gamble.

So basically it would become a gamble that they pay rather than an investment backed by good collateral.

Just reading the post, and wanted to know if Ignite Funding be a possibility?

It seems taking a gamble on a property that's not even yours seems to be a high risk financially.http://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/12/topics/380162-went-bankrupt-trying-to-wholesale-heres-my-sage-advice

Are you against casinos, because some people get addicted to gambling?

REI is like playing poker (not because it's gambling).  

The message I took from this was, only gamble what you can afford to lose and only do it if that loss doesn't change your lifestyle or standard of living.

Hopefully, the gamble will pay off.Where and what you buy will make a huge difference in terms of what you need to do to get an STR permit, how long you'll wait for other permits if you are building or remodeling, what the STR rules and restrictions are (none of the jurisdictions are onerous, but there are differences between 29, YV, and the county), and so forth. 

These markets also have a great employment rate with large companies such as Procter and Gamble and The Kroger Company - together employing over 33,000 people.

So it can also be considered a gamble to some investors.