Getting rent out of them isn't always a simple, pain-free economic exercise.

Hold for awhile and split the profits or have a public auction almost immediately after you control it.These are just a few ideas that should stimulate your creative juices.  

It might be a good house for someone who can assess it and has just the skill set to fix it up well and economically.

There are a lot of things that count as indicators for economic status, but Vegas room rates are about as ridiculous a stretch as I've ever heard.  

Not only is this just incorrect, it's economics 101. 

What does are the economic indicators potraying?

Government run economic agencies, The Chamber of Commerce, heavily experienced Realtors in that area, current Housing Associations, heavily involved Banks involved in the local financing may all be successful at helping you to find the right information you need that will help you decide on to what to do.  

I think the area is only going up, especially with all the money getting pumped into Midtown (https://midtownindy.org/economic-council-mec/).

People live above their means under favorable economic conditions, then scale back from A to B and B to C.2.

If I had to actively pick a market though (which I'm starting to think about researching other markets to branch out to) Wilmington never would have ended up on my list due to the high crime and lackluster economic outlook.