I was also a pharmaceutical rep for Abbott Labs right out of school and know Escanaba, Marquette, Iron Mountain and Houghton/Hancock well.To be honest Las Vegas has lost it's rental charm!

Ironically, I come from a financial analyst background as well!  

Ironically this came across as even more of a red flag of this potential tenant (If you would have paid more, but the landlord still chose not to rent to you then what else is there about you that I'm missing that made you not be the "Chosen One"?)

I am an investor agent as well with a larger deal I'm working on right now so I'll send you the details once we iron out the price.

If the house has cast-iron drainage plumbing and hard water, there's a fair chance that a year's drying time could have led to cracks in the branch lines or main stack in a place like Cicero, IL.

Ironically after a five-year dormant period, I am presently also looking for referrals in Dayton.

Iron sharpens iron. 

That is ironic what happened to your parents and glad they were okay!

There was talk of the city becoming a tech hub, proposals for portions of the city to be enclosed in a bubble to make the winters more hospitable and a huge mall/hotel development project called (ironically) Destiny.

This means that if the real estate market takes a downturn or your investment doesn't go as planned, you could be at risk of losing not just the profits from the flip, but also your own home if you're unable to repay the HELOC.Not at all trying to be downer, just food for thought as you iron out your strategy.All the best to you!