I hope that everyone that celebrates the holiday season has had a nice one.

Boots on the ground-If you do or don't plan on visiting Detroit, you need to find someone who knows and understands this market, someone with the knowledge of knowing the culture, costs and has a network.

Is this because of it being in a high crime area or is it a cultural thing of the city? 

Thanks,WilliamAs a fellow Northerner, I tend to buy in the Southern half of the US for 2 reasons:1) you get much higher year-round occupancy rates in the South & it’s simply tough to earn a good ROI in the North if your place sits vacant for a big chunk of the year2) Culturally, the Southern half of the US seems to be a lot more accepting of STRs regulation-wise.

crazy to believe that someone who is somewhat well known be involved in such scams.one and the same and is using that notoriety to create this huge swath of business that well just read the threads.. as someone else mentioned its just fantasy the way he describes these areas.. and only those who just don't know what they don't know and rely on his internet and TV celebrity  to to think investing in this model was safe and sound

Keep in mind that just having your own primary home should be reason to celebrate.  

Booked our first guests earlier in the week from word of mouth before the launch - a high profile celebrity photoshoot!

I guess one way to counter that is to only invest in property that is close to some kind of amenity that is not easily duplicated by a new development -- like good freeway access, good restaurants (as you pointed out), good cultural centers, etc. 

Or maybe they just need a little more time for personal reasons.The path to homeownership can be challenging and for some clients this is a fantastic option to get into the home they want, get their children in a good school, and experience the culture of the community while they prepare to purchase.

Just depends on your level of knowledge. option you can take if the numbers are so great is to: Put it under contract and flip or assign that contract to someone else who’s familiar with the war zone culture.