Pros: Diverse job market, low unemployment, great resilience during recessions, nice appreciation, 1% rule can be hit if you look hard enough, great economy, good schools, Midwest nice.Cons: Extreme weather at times (hot/humid summers, tornadoes/hail, brutal cold in Jan/Feb), high insurance premiums, property taxes also really high.

There are rules to follow!

Of course, many investors bend/break this rule, but that's another risk.2) If your bid wins the foreclosure auction, you then have to deal with getting rid of any occupants - who may steal/damage everything they can in retaliation:(3) You MUST have a great crew on the ground that can minimize surprises - not easy to do on your first deal.Regardless if you buy a foreclosure or other property, read our copy & paste advice below:-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Recommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?

@Dennis Gallagheri don't really use any rules anymore, i just evaluate the actual expenses on actual properties. 

In that case you need to review the house rules and check with management.

If you do it right, it’s arguably the best market to invest.Purchase: $80k-$130kRent: $1100-$1500 (no rent control in MI)1% rule: .9%-1.4% rule dealsCoc ROI: 5-12%Total ROI: 20-40%Cash flow: $50-$250/door (after all expenses and budgeting for maint, capex, vacancy)Appreciation: 3-10%+ (has been double digit for a decade)Location: C+, B-These numbers are based on the “sweet spot” in Metro Detroit.

hey @Matthew Toporowski, at the least I would check their financials/tax returns to see how profitable they are (which translates into how easy it will be to pay your rent).

Obviously, the rules will differ from state to state.The most successful buyers have trusted bidders with cashier’s checks in multiple denominations (for cash sales) and the actual buyers have field runners and people to monitor multiple prospective properties at a given time and check sales status for postponements due to BK, etc.This is the case in larger metro markets where many properties could go to sale but few do so.There are often better ways to acquire properties then auctions.

wholesaling is definitely not an "easy" way to get into RE investing.

My wife and I chose to write down our own rules for both our marital property and our estate, so that it doesn't go to whatever wacky CO law governs distribution of wealth.