Spend your time interviewing and learning from developers and construction company OWNERS-- there are some WONDERFUL people out there... until you spend time with LOTS of them you won't know the "good guys" from the "used car dealers"-- find the people that are VESTED and high profile in the community.I PROMISE ---> you will make FAR MORE money and have a much larger POSITIVE impact on "mankind" by taking the EB5 route (creating jobs, learning the efficiencies of running a successful project,  assimilating into the world of American business) than you could ever have in a series of single or multi-family rehabs.Find and work with people like yourself--people you can TALK to and trust.If you follow this plan of 2 rehabs (or 2 movein ready single family homes) and investing as PART of a small commercial project ...

That being said, driving through 3rd Ward one may notice that there are far more easily observable drug dealers lurking on corners than most other parts of the inner-loop combined.

When getting a house under contract that does not necessarily mean you need to purchase it if the dealer backs out however you do run the risk of losing your earnest money (the money given to the owner of the home to promise they will not take on another/better offer) however earnest money is a generally not very much ($100 max)

If you flip enough you are considered a "Real Estate Dealer" by the IRS and your income is treated as income earned from a job vs. investment activity.

You might find a few attached townhouses/condos with bad HOAs for that price, but many houses even from off-market dealers.

I tend to focus on Specialty Finance companies (think non-bank consumer/commercial lenders rather than traditional "financials" which typically means banks, broker/dealers, insurance, and asset management). 

I am a poker dealer, but about to get out of that industry as I have just finished up with tech school for HVAC/R.  

Really, Car dealers and car repair shopsTax servicesTitle loan and small personal loan co.On another platform;Title companiesInsuranceMortgage BrokersBanks Probably the most popular areas....

That would be like ignoring the boarded up building next door with all the graffiti and drug dealers hanging out.The deal must include the ability to find and keep decent tenants. 

The seller may have an exemption as to high risk loans not being a dealer, we don't know that.