Most of these course instructors aren't qualified to teach anything but the most elementary real estate concepts and try to make their courses more marketable by teaching concepts they have no business teaching. 

Do you know investors who have done business in Oklahoma? 

I'm not sure why that metric has held true but it still applies, the properties that perform well above that ratio are the owners that treat their STR like a business.

Busy street 2.

Are there any potential risks or downsides I should keep in mind before proceeding?

Everyone was on bottled water for months.You may want to ask for proof that Flint is growing or attracting business investments.Now Detroit is an entirely different story!

Is it on a busy street, does it have a view, etc..

Fast forward 20 years: I now have money in the bank, excellent credit, live modestly on my own, and run a business that’s doing well.Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to save much for retirement during most of my life.

https://azbigmedia.com/business/economy/mesa-phoenix-rank-in...

Ultimately responsibly using leverage (both equity and debt), implementing systems and buying good assets with realizable equity  is how you scale while operating a sustainable real estate business.