Schedule a second walk-thru when you are serious about a property and bring along someone experienced or a contractor to look over the property.

But they are getting the advice from people who are either (1) not qualified or experienced enough to rely on their advice (2) biased to some degree, perhaps unintentionally, by their background, business interests, training, etc, or (3) providing advice in a general sense without a thorough understanding of the questioners personal situation or ALL the relevant facts. 

I’m sorry to hear that you are facing difficulties renting your place out. 

Im an experienced renovator and fireman. looking into buying my first investment property in my area.

Edit: And taking 10-20% equity on a deal like this with an experienced investor might be completely worthwhile and life changing to be clear. 

I’ve focused on passive multi-family deals, and now I’m excited to share new syndication opportunities from experienced sponsors in the multi-family and manufactured housing communities (MHC) sectors. 

Nothing against Detroit, it's a good market for experienced investors, but not for someone who already made a market mistake.

I am an experienced Realtor in Los Angeles, CA.

And, I've experienced this myself a few times as an REI.

You’re experienced so you should know that motivation exists on a spectrum.