When to Buy in Bad Areas???

[Elizabeth Einecke]

Hi All! I am a newbie with one successful flip under my belt. I work mostly with preforeclosures, but am also interested in fixer REOs. I have 20 offers in and have recently begun focusing on the bad areas of town as this is where the deals seem to be(REO). My question is, besides price and repairs, what are the things to look for when buying in these areas to insure that they will resell. Some of the areas seem so bad but yet there are people living there. Thanks in advance for the advice!