I can't think of anything safer than a savings account.

In Indy you're probably safer than most cities but I'd stay away from getting loans on everything you buy.

You should also have been and continually shopping local smaller banks and CU's working with their commercial lender on something that works, if you have some cash saved, a decent job/income, and a good credit score, you should be able to get fix and flip loans fairly easily from a small bank.

@Robert Herrera So since you broke out the data, for reference here is an article from the same source you used about homicides in Pueblo (highest rate in Colorado).Then here is another site that offers data on property crime in Pueblo as well (note that Pueblo is safer than 1% of us Cities, meaning 99% of the US cities are safer). 

Sounds to me like, option 1 is a bit safer of an investment.

I should clarify that I the ARV is provably 105-110 conservatively and the mortgage (if you shop around) could be 80LTV, so your mortgage would be 88K.

The other draw is Cabela's, which has led to a boom in shopping areas.I also began looking in the Belleville area of Illinois, where my husband and I used to live: some really nice small towns there that are close to Saint Louis, MO.

The CE Shop is also good, plus they offer a lot of continuing ed courses.

I hate blasting it because it makes the deal less exclusive and makes investors feel like they are getting shopped around.

my understanding is that brokers typically first shop deals to  investors whom they've had previous dealings with, then to other brokers in-house, then to the general public.