In any market, and especially in cities like Detroit, it makes A HUGE difference.Your offer will stand out and you should be able to buy at a Discount. 

With hundreds of search criteria and thousands of filter options, not to mention individual and household level lifestyle attributes, users can pinpoint their exact targets with every list search.

I ended up buying from a wholesaler without ever meeting him because he walked me through the process and answered all my questions.I actually wrote a blog post about it here:http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/4430/blog_posts/32194-attention-wholesalers-2-ways-to-stand-out-from-your-competition

Ben, you know how easy it would be to stand out in this business if you did everything honestly and tried to provide a good deal for your end user?

I attribute my long length of experience at giving me a good foundation to work from when I wanted to buy and hold, since I generally buy wrecks and turn them into something nice. 

While doing back of the napkin due diligence what is a standout factor that will immediately turn you away from analyzing the deal any further?

One way to look at it is "Preservation of Asset Value".If the neighborhood has wood, and you go odd man out an put in something else, or just leave it run down your valuation against comps in the area may suffer.Meaning you collect a few dollars more in rent, but your investment value does not hold up as well as it could--or not as many buyers will want it upon sale.Even if it's a more expensive fence than the neighborhood (Rolls Royce hood ornament on a Pinto),If it were mine, I'd match it to the neighborhood fences (blend in vs stand out).Just my 2 cents

Naturally, most of them said BO, however they were attributing McCain's policies to Obama.

with nearly half of your neighborhood for sale you have to stand out in the crowd.

I bet it really make a letter stand out!!!