I have sold in California, took the cash and moved out of state (to Indiana) and highly regretted it - I didn't have a real estate investor mindset then.

Lessons learned is not to buy a property with a high HOA.

I can say in Detroit the wholesaler your talking to has most likely found that deal from 2-3 other wholesalers, they literally have to payout 2 - 3 other parties to get the deal and this is what the fees are high and the deal makes no sense.

@Nick HulmeMaking improvements to your primary to make it high quality enough to rent above market rents, rent it.

My firend once had a client who did a high end remodel in a somewhat modest neighborhood.

The "+/-" isn't based on the high or low end of the sq ft range, it's based on the differences in quality, or finishes, or the specific location within that micro-market. 

I don't have much experience with other platforms but I can assure you RentRedi sets the bar pretty high. 

I won't just write them all here but I highly recommend contacting a qualified 1031 intermediary to walk you through the process.

Couple other things to consider, property / school taxes are high, and tenants have lots of rights.

That being said, booking.com had a high occurrence of fraud so we no longer use them.