By investing in metropolitan areas your yield would be lower (6% to 7%) but you would have a lower vacancy rate.

Housing prices are high, mortgage rates are high, and competition is fierce so revenue is way downIt’s one thing if you bought a while back like many of us did, so your cost basis is much lower.

There's a lot of suckers who attend these sales, particularly for the lower priced properties and that's precisely who you don't want to be bidding against.

Sherman does seem interesting though because of the lower cost and growth potential.  

that we’ve learned in our 24 years, managing almost 700 doors across the Metro Detroit area, including almost 100 S8 leases:Class A Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, 3-5 years for positive cashflow, but you get highest relative rent & value appreciation.Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, 5% the more recent norm.Tenant Pool: Majority will have FICO scores of 680+ (roughly 5% probability of default), zero evictions in last 7 years.Class B Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, decent amount of relative rent & value appreciation.Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, 5% should be applied only if proper research done to support.Tenant Pool: Majority will have FICO scores of 620-680 (around 10% probability of default), some blemishes, but should have no evictions in last 5 yearsClass C Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, high cashflow and at the lower end of relative rent & value appreciation.

The risk is far lower, with a better ROI.OR you can consider learning about government contracts and performing lease matching. 

All of this equates to lower returns with turnover costs, being the primary one.  

Negotiating a lower price to account for these issues could be an option, but if they’re not flexible, it may be best to explore other opportunities.Happy to connect if you’d like to discuss further!

These neighborhoods seem to fit my goals, especially with their lower crime rates and potential for growth.Do you think these are solid options, or would you recommend other neighborhoods in the Philadelphia area based on the price range and focus on appreciation?

In this market, I would not finance a first time flipper at 75% profit split because the profits and success rate is lower than the last dozen years.