Yes, I'm gonna bang the REI gong LOUD-N-PROUD because your on BP, this is our house bro, the house REI built. 

That said, even with photos, comping homes in Detroit proper is extremely difficult.

They sold two appreciated duplexes in Dallas and we turned them into 8 units in Mesa, AZ with higher cash-flow, and much closer proximity to Southern California.I'll add to your Phoenix "pros" list:1) Landlord friendly rental rules2) Easy evictions in < 30 days3) Rents are rising faster (on a % basis) than many other metro areas4) Low property taxes (and the property taxes don't sky rocket after a purchase as they do in CA)5) Very low vacancy and extremely high tenant demand.

Thanks Zach, I totally agree.Here are some things that keep me extremely optimistic about the build, when I have moments of frustration:-My initial expectation of value was ~340k.  

I found them extremely knowledgeable, informative, and responsive.

It's not likely you'll be able to rent rooms out for 1500-2K per month unless it is an extremely nice house/area.

.  ;-)  I created an EXTREMELY specific business model and repeated it.  

Rental property is extremely tax advantaged based on the current tax code.

.: EM doesn’t seem extremely low, just kinda low.

For me it's CA since I live here but the prices are extremely high for a new investor.