Detroit would be a solid option if you're strategy involves a little more risk for potentially higher cash flow. 

My humble advice to anyone attempting to do creative finance is:Creative finance is for experienced investors who have access to capital if anything goes wrong.Learn the lawsDon't use a contract "off the internet", laws vary by state and are also regulated on a federal levelLearn the financing techniques correctlyDon’t skip parts of the processDon’t ever do a “kitchen table” closingUse the proper deedAn attorney can help you with the legal work, but the rest you are on your ownYour guru will not bail you out“Investing” in someone else’s deal by providing a small 2nd loan so the “investor” can pay for “cash to the seller” and for “closing costs” so he can do the deal is a very bad planKnow what problems can ariseLearn the responses and solutions to problems before they are neededKnow everything there is to know about Title and what that meansKnow who a "protected class" individual isLearn the "back doors"Learn human natureUnderstand timelinesUnderstand regulation enforcement (some of these "mistakes" have a 10 year statue of limitations ( they can charge you 10 years AFTER you do the transaction) and carry hefty fines and possible imprisonmentThe court doesn't accept "I didn't know" for an answer"Know that the source of the lead plays a serious role in some states and federallyKnow how much of a "profit" pushes the boundaries to invite an investigationYou can be sued by the seller if you don’t do things correctlyYou are automatically at fault if an investigator or attorney or regulator gets involved.

If the insured driver was sued for more than their car insurance covered, the accident must have involved negligence.

Absent them, risk is controllable over time.

There's many other options in real estate such as syndication and note investing depending on your level of involvement. 

Quote from @Michell Chase: I am working with a hard lender on a purchase/reno and they require a builders risk policy even though 1 unit of the 3/4 will have a tenant.  

Are there going to be banks involved, creative seller financing or all cash? 

So this involves hiring an architect draw up plans ($1,000 - 3,000 if I had to guess).  

I am starting to become involved in real estate investing and I am looking between two cities in Ohio to purchase my first property (hopefully a duplex).

In the Bigger Pockets free book, "Real Estate Rewind", as one of the 11 co-authors I wrote about one such Tax Sale purchase and made money but not enough money to warrant the risk involved.