What I see is there are many people from abroad who just want to park money here vs their home country due to inflation or some other reason who are willing to take minimal returns in exchange for principal safety. 

I would aim for a comfortable safety budget before starting!

-Safety and crime rates.

I was concerned with the safety of the neighborhood, not with what my potential neighbors looked like.

\/O\/ I like the "clear evidence of gentrification" area you mention.Yes, it is a slow process and good things take time but stick to that pocket IMO.Buy cheap with a margin of safety, work the market since you are local and you will have a much higher rate of success than a DIY out of state investors.Just my opinion and wishing you much success

The safety of our guests at BPCON is our first priority; we'll be bringing in additional security if necessary and honoring ticket refunds for anyone who doesn't feel safe traveling to Orlando.

Make sure you know the safety and quality of the neighborhood and even block in New Orleans to ensure the rents will be what you expect. 

@Dennis Gallof In addition to the safety concerns ....Good luck trying to evict a non paying tenant in an illegal apartment. 

My property is currently my primary residence. 4) Can I even register the property as a rental property when it has some serious code violation issues that might affect the safety of residential use: such as electrical issues, roof restoration, etc.? 

Drafted a plan, gathered estimates, created a budget, put together DTI sheets, even got an "as-built" appraisal, and also have it in a permit status at the Local Building and safety office.Then I started to look into the construction loan and the permanent financing....to do it myself, and not through a builder.I soon realized that there are sooo many companies out there that want to try to help...but cant  (some of them were even on this network of people):  don't have builds on record, won't allow for owner-built homes, my credit is less than 680, while carrying the construction loan, there may be a point at the end where because i have my rental house while building that it become hard to pay, and  I can't pull out a private loan to help start process because my credit cards balances are horrible...and my "business" has no show of income.So, now we are here in the present time....