Columbus or Detroit?

[Trace P.]

Hi! I'm new to this forum and to property investment. I've done a ton of research the past year on property investment in the States and am really keen to buy my first property this year. I actually don't reside in US (I stay in Asia) hence I can't get active info from the ground, but I did live in Michigan for 2 years and traveled around the States.

Two key cities which caught my attention were Columbus and Detroit. However I've a few doubts which I couldn't find answers to online and I hope the great people in this community could help (I got a hell lot of good advice from these BP forums, thanks!) :

For Columbus, everything seems great except the "1% rule". It seems that property in a decent (B class) neighborhood easily costs $130+k, but they appear to rent out at about $900. This is of course based on Zillow as I don't have direct contacts with people on the ground there. Anyone have insights on this?

As for Detroit, I understand the city is growing and you can get really low cost decent property there. However, the economy seems to heavily depend on the automotive industry, which I thought would not thrive in times of recession (e.g. compared to schools or healthcare). Any advice on this?

I'm trying to build my network and find reliable agents and property managers which I can talk to as well despite being overseas, hence any recommendations are welcome, thanks!

[Trace P.]

@Marisa Rowe I checked out your posts, impressive indeed!

Anyone have insights on Columbus though? The economy looks great there. I'm considering if buying lower cost properties and then rehabbing works there too.