People who did it wrong and weren't able to execute.If you do it right, it’s statistically the best market in the country for cash flow.I'm pretty biased towards Metro Detroit...HOWEVER, I do personally make over $100k/yr cash flow from 16 properties here.

Deals are more about what YOU make of them then what the broad statistics say they are.

Why in the world would a bona fide lender charge less for a statistically riskier loan that banks can borrower let alone owner-occupied real estate rates.

If I were to build from scratch: Bold City Properties. 

You will know exactly what is in each house, what the measurements are, etc. this means that if you have many you can have a standard depreciation schedule for them, it also means you can track statistics on repairs (a quote for a single home is completely applicable to any other property), how long appliances last, etc.

You determine the probabilities from the statistics of a large data set … 200 flips in the example.Once you have done 200 rental units you can determine the EV going forward.Not a very satisfactory answer I know.

I know there are a few public access websites that aggregate crime statistics and other factors to give zipcodes specific ratings.

I encourage you to look at crime statistics for the entirety of the city......With that being said a ton of my colleagues do flips, buy and holds, new builds, etc.. in Pueblo West.

Jumping into real estate right after college with a buddy is a bold move, but it's definitely doable with the right planning.

Government report statistics - population growth, crime rates, ethnicity mix2.