That would be a pretty cool accolade I must say :DHey everyone i'm Dave, 25 year old Business Consultant for a Financial Software provider.I'm based in the UK and am at the bottom of the real estate ladder - hence, I have not yet invested anything and am in the learning process.

Don't get me wrong; there are plenty of issues/problems/quirks that old houses have that new houses don't, and an old house can obviously have hidden problems and big repair/maintenance bills too--which is why thorough due diligence is fundamental to REI...but, the point is: a brand new house is not a foolproof solution to repairs/maintenance headaches (and in some cases, a brand new house can be a much bigger gamble than an older house).This is a particularly important lesson for inexperienced investors, who tend to be the most prone to "shiny object syndrome" (the tendency to let nice aesthetics distract from real, underlying issues).

It was good enough to spur me on.What they offered was a package (either UK or NZ package) where they provide training and a mentorship.

Without that you really have no idea what the tenant is like, so its a big gamble. 

I know I know gambling right .. 

I have some experience with this in the UK, but I've only lived in the US for two years so I am trying to find my feet, understand markets, so lots of research!

Software Engineer here in London, UK. 

It took every penny we had to do that (and I don't suggest that gamble to anyone) but it's paid off royally as the market in Boulder took off 2 months after we closed on our house.  

Appreciation or even speculation of appreciation is like gambling and investors tend of to have personalities that shy away from that. 

I wish I had the balls to gamble with it!