Most of the banks are not even aware the policies cover these things and consequently, end up selling the property as is.On a more personal note, I live in Northern California, and enjoy mountain biking, writing, composing music and reading.

The last couple years have been spent absorbing as much knowledge as I could on investing but I have made the commitment of action this year, including making a presence on this forum.

You can buy turnkey properties in the midwest, and some of the north east states have a turnkey presence now.If you are mailing directly to sellers you can probably find good deals in your own back yard.Regarding Detroit it sounds like unless your equipped to handle the tenants and know the area intimately you're better served turning 360 degrees and walking way (that is an old joke that I still think is funny).Best of luck,Pete

With a strong Navy presence, Kitsap is a great place to invest.  

That said, I think the police have been making their presence known quite a bit more in those sketchier blocks. 

Not only that, they now have a responsibility to provide fire and police protection, in this area that could mean the police presence goes up, manpower hours increase answering calls and assets set aside for such services.

So did a more... muscular... relative of mine repeated the same thing to them in my presence.

Not very easy job to get easily convinced by mentioning others experiences, i guess one should have a physical presence on the spot to see the consequences and limitations of his/her investment. 

A brokerage with a good local presence can be a real asset when starting out. 

To get one, you typically have a testing outfit come to the house and test for the presence of mold; when they find it, you have a licensed mold remediator come out and write a scope of work (this is an official - and expensive - document); then they come out and do the actual remediation work; then they test again and either issue the certificate or repeat the remediation process.