They may have nice appreciation but that's a bit of a gamble.

It would be better to pay whatever it is for testing soil out of pocket before closing and lose the money if tanks leaking then to buy the house as a gamble and have to re-mediate afterwards.

Buying in a hot market with the hope that it appreciates is essentially a gamble. 

. :) however my gut feeling - without complete understanding of their risks, structure, leverage, performance in a bad market it is quite a gamble for NPN...

These low rates ignited robust purchase activity, which is up 25% from a year ago and has been growing at double digit amounts for four consecutive months.

@Bonnie Rhodes I started investing in lemonade stands when I was 9.Then I flipped marijuana in Middle School and ran illegal gambling in the high school bathrooms.

However, if you want to stay in SFR's I would suggest working with someone who can locate deep discounted properties and give you some equity going in so you are not gambling on appreciation kicking in.  

Meanwhile the governments, both Federal and local, poured hundreds of millions into the South Bronx to ignite a recovery that never came, while writing off Park Slope as hopeless!

If this property is really owned by somebody addicted to gambling then there is likely deferred maintenance. 

And in any case, is appreciation not just risk with no control (i.e. gambling)?