Even without a budget for repairs/etc - let's just define "cashflow" as income left over after PITI & utilities for a moment - Mac Groveland and Highland Park are going to be tough.

This will be tough to run from far away.

Unused contingency funds, unless they were received directly from the borrower, must be used to reduce the outstanding balance of the renovation mortgage after all of the renovation work has been completed and the certification of completion has been obtained.The loan is not re-amortized.Draw Schedule:The HomeStyle program has a maximum 4 draw process.The initial draw can be up to 50% of the total project and can be for materials for the project.The final draw will be at least 10% of the total project as retainage and funds will be released upon receipt and approval of final inspection, Certificate of Completion from Appraiser, signed All Bills Paid Affidavits and Lien Waivers.Additional Draw Information:Ø Signed Draw Request by borrower and contractorØ Signed All Bills Paid AffidavitØ GMG review and approve the draw request and will release funds for disbursementØ A check will be issued in the name of the borrower and contractor and delivered to borrower via USPSØ An inspection of work to date will be performed at 50% completeFinal Draw Information:Ø Signed Draw RequestØ Final inspection/Completion Certificate will be required for release of final fundsØ A Title Update showing property free from lien or encumbranceØ General Contractor’s Lien Waiver AffidavitØ Affidavit of Completion GR will review and approve the draw request and will release a check in the name of the borrower and contractor.Change Orders and Cost Overruns:Changes to the initial plan are not permitted unless prior approval by Guaranteed Rate.

Rehab costs and  are key parts of evaluating deals, so it's great that you're diving into these concepts early.For rehab costs, creating a rough estimate starts with understanding the scope of work and local pricing for materials and labor.

@Nathan Frost  Ironically, I did the majority of my real estate investing in Texas while living in Metro Detroit, and you are doing somewhat the reverse.I didn't want to get too negative, but suffice to say the City of Detroit* is a very tough market. 

i agree with you on the tough environment there for purchasing / house hacking but I wouldn't give up on that regardless of what else you look into. house hacking = owning real estatewildly successful arbitrage = not owning any real estatecan you look in Frederick MD or Fredericksburg or Ashburn or an exurb? 

Plan was to do self storage; then found out the creek that sits a ways back flooded 5 years ago, not in a floodzone but all the locals know so self storage is a tough sell at this point. 

Land is very tough to estimate value do to it's valie is based on what you can do with it and how much demand there is for what ever is ultimately done with it. 

1.Activities That CountTo meet the material participation criteria, you must log your hours in a detailed and ongoing logbook throughout the year.

Recently Clint made a post about the land market has been tough & how he felt burn out from teaching things that don’t work like they used to.