If you live in Macomb County, you already know about as much as you need to know to pick good real estate locations.When buying a stock, the investor has no control over how well it does and we all pay the same price, so we look for stocks with hot growth prospects. 

I would love to pick your brains if you're good with me contacting you directly.

I would be less concerned about trying to pick land based on future appreciation & selling. 

But I am old school its why I only use Commercial banks I want to pick up the phone and talk to my banker.

Pick a market, go onto Zillow Agent finder, look for reviews that mention something about investments, call the person to make sure they invest themselves and go from there.

@Jesse Jones-Smithhi. i tend not to advise people on personal residence items because... it's too personal. so i'll just pick one thing you mentioned and provide a comment. 

Quote from @Alan NA: If you could pick one or two neighborhoods in these two states to buy a long or mid-term rental property $1mm or under, which would it be and why?

Pick a lender.  

Have they taken up area carpets and sprayed furniture? 

Also, there are more things to consider than max ROI.Most people start by picking a particular type/style of property that they like for some reason (usually a gut decision).