All Forum Posts by: Travis Biziorek

Hi Mattin,

As we’re already chatting via DM, I’ll keep this brief, but I wanted to drop a note here for anyone else considering Detroit. It’s a market with its own set of challenges, but it’s also packed with opportunities if you understand the nuances.

Happy to help if anyone here has questions about Detroit investing or wants to explore what’s possible in the market.

Looking forward to continuing our conversation, Mattin!

Scott, am I reading this right?

You're in Detroit and considering investing out of state? Why?!

Detroit is literally one of the, if not THE, best markets you could be playing in today. And the fact that you're local, on-the-ground, gives you a massive advantage. 

I own 12-doors in Detroit proper. The absolute last thing I'd be doing is looking at other markets.

Hey John,

I own 12 units in Detroit but currently live in California. I actually used to live in the area and self-managed all my properties while I was there. Even after moving 2.5 years ago, I continued to self-manage because I had a solid network of connections that made it pretty easy to handle remotely.

That said, it eventually came down to wanting my time back. My wife also made it clear that if we were going to expand beyond what we already own, she didn’t want to be involved in managing them. Over the last 3 months, I’ve moved 4 of our 12 units over to a property manager. So far, it’s going really well, and I’m glad we made the shift.

For me, the decision wasn’t about issues with self-managing but more about freeing up time and mental space to focus on the next steps in our investing journey.

Curious to hear others’ experiences as well!

—Travis

I would start by finding areas you actually WANT to live and go from there.

Picking a place to call home simply because it has a real estate market that you feel will fit your goals is a great way to end up miserable. 

Find some areas you want to be and then look at the RE markets. What's wrong with upstate NY, for example? There's plenty of great areas for REI up there, no?

I'd echo what Drew says.

While I don't have as much experience with DHC, I do have a few S8 tenants and definitely agree with his final thoughts... "If you're persistent, you can get things done, but it does take a lot of time."

That's definitely true. We just went through a rent increase on one of mine and I'm moving it over to a property manager and getting payments changed over has been a process. But it's tolerable if you stay on them and just expect that things take time.

Hey Nicholas,

If you’re looking at Section 8 investing in Ohio, I’d definitely encourage you to take a look at Detroit as well. The market has a lot of strong points right now: affordable entry prices, great rent-to-price ratios, and high demand for rentals, especially in the Section 8 space.

What’s even more exciting is the direction Detroit is heading. Property values have been appreciating rapidly in recent years, and the city’s population has started growing again—a trend we haven’t seen in decades.

I’m also based in California and have been investing in Detroit for several years, so I understand the concerns of out-of-state investing. That said, it’s been a great market for me—strong cash flow, significant appreciation, and plenty of opportunity for investors who take the time to understand the market’s nuances.

If you decide to explore Detroit further, feel free to reach out—I’m always happy to share insights and what I’ve learned along the way.

Good luck on your investing journey!

—Travis

Hey Caleb,

The short answer is yes—MLS systems are regional, so photo availability and listing practices can vary quite a bit. That said, even with photos, comping homes in Detroit proper is extremely difficult. You’ll often see sales with 100-200% swings within the same area, which makes having deep local knowledge and understanding the nuances absolutely critical.

I do this for a living, and even with experience, comping in Detroit can still be challenging. Whether you’re looking at SFHs, duplexes, or other properties, it’s important to pair on-paper data with boots-on-the-ground knowledge to really get a sense of values.

If you’re considering anything serious in Detroit, I’d recommend connecting with someone who knows the market inside and out. If you let us know more about what you're trying to accomplish I may be able to point you in the right direction.

—Travis

 I literally just had this conversation with a prospective client when he asked me what a typical outcome looks like.

I told him everyone nods and agrees when I drill into them the risks of investing OOS and in Detroit. But many of them think "that won't be me though!".

Inevitably, there are some that are not cut out for the turbulence and want to sell after less than a year of ownership. Then they're confused why they aren't going to break even when they have an a unit that needs work post-eviction. 

The people that have success truly understand there will be challenges and keep moving forward when they happen. 

Hey Nicholle, you'll probably have more success through a site like Turno.com

I own and operate a STR in Detroit. And I just did a big write up on it.

Short of it is it does well, and no I'm not removing mechanicals between stays lol