I can't afford to gamble. 

As for the Yelp reviews, the one reviewer only had that one review, no picture or profile so it's suspect on it's authenticity.  

If you're gambling on huge future appreciation, flyover country is not the place to be.

Someone tell Rich to stop gambling and to come educate the common-folk!

I like gambling analogies for real estate because, despite all the mumbo jumbo that sometimes gets thrown around, luck is a huge factor in your actual returns.

So, that's about my minimum for buying a rental.OTOH, I don't want to be dealing with a tenant for just $10 a month, even if that is getting me a 20% cash on cash return.As to your question, the number your asking about, in gambling terms, is called "variance".

. $5k for a 4,000s.f. house.3) Where my risk/gamble is, is that I like changing use of properties... converting bootlegged 2 units back into SFR.

I took the gamble in 2011, because I knew prices were at multi-year lows.  

This sounds like it is gambling or drug related.

We travel for business; in our spare time, we gamble, visit museums, go to the beach, and watch movies and TV with video on demand via a high-speed connection.http://www.esri.com/data/esri_data/ziptapestry