Any thoughts on whether this is more of a gamble than an investment would be much appreciated. 

I also have close ties to a medium sized civil company in Auckland and my grandfather can operate anything with an ignition (such as an excavator) which reduces the cost to renovate greatly.

Many recessions are actually ignited by external factors like that.

Couldn't pay me to gamble on the outcome of that mess.

As an investor buying at these prices and taking a negative cash flow loss each month and praying for appreciation is not investing its gambling.  

I am 27 years old and recently bought my first condo about 7 months ago, only a short time before i read Kiyosaki's Rich Dad Poor Dad which ignited a flame in me to read everything I could and pursue my dream of real estate investing.

Current Flood Zone risks in Tampa do not look good for those who Gamble with political opinions and do not understand the science of your Risk of flood. https://experience.arcgis.com/...

Hi, My name is Michelle LaRue and I am re-igniting my passion for real estate.

I have always thought that was a gamble not worth taking, and it is even more risky in this time of rising interest rates. 

You just don't know if your investments will pay off and that is the gamble.