Given how high US dollars are, I'm thinking about investing in the UK market as a way to diversify. 

In the UK, the lenders keep the deed until the mortgage is paid off.  

It's less of a gamble than just buying a parcel and hoping someone will want it one day.Clint

Brandon always mentions that appreciation is like gambling and a speculation.

There would definitely be a knowledge gap in switching/adding something new to your portfolio, and bigger gambles could mean bigger losses in the event of a mistake while learning. 

Those both seem rather big gambles as opposed to hedges... but hey, each unto their own. 

Hello,My name is Faris Yaghmour, 18 years old & looking to start build my real estate portfolio in the UK.

Even when young and could not really afford it, I would not hesitate to buy a new car, knowing full well that financially it was a bad deal.Taking a risk on a RE investment was just too much of a gamble - why, because it was different, it was not the norm, that made it scary.Even when I had plenty of capital to back me up, it was still difficult to make the first buy.I still suffer from analysis paralysis when looking at properties - that's probably due to some fear still existing.I'm still a relative newbie in the REI world, but every day it's becoming a little less scary.

Owning a property for a year is a tough gamble, since you pay a lot in selling commissions, etc so breaking even is tough. 

Here is my response to that question:I don't go to casinos to gamble.