We're in the Rust-Belt, which tends to be very isolated from the sometimes brutal nature of the 'hot' areas to invest in real estate.

Yes, my excel sheet was just for rough numbers to see what a cap rate would be and things of that nature.

Its a small residential town that services a larger regional city of Gladstone which has some natural gas plants, a port, refinery, smelter and power station. 

In most areas  of Monroe County there is no natural gas available;  when gas is referred to as a heating source, it is usually propane.  

A direct price for a basic, new, natural gas residential hot water boiler costs me 1700 ish.

I have been in a general contractor position for 9 years now so naturally I am pulled more towered the fix/flip area.

Let the relationships you build with others happen and develop naturally over time.I hope that helps.

The volatility of the market combined with the astronomical costs of marketing that it takes to create leads leaves many people bankrupt and forces even the most successful of those in this field to find easier ways to make money in order to supplement, and in some cases replace, their sporadic income that is pretty standard among wholesalers and creative investment specialists. 

I have put down 3 1/4in x 3/4in natural color Hickory in a SFR.  

You mentioned some crime stats, there is crime everywhere it fluctuates in all areas every year some years more, some years less, I do not know if a single cit yin the country that is immune to crime.Investing is risky no matter SFR, multi-family, commercial, flipping, holding, stock, bonds, IRA - this is the pure nature of investing it is a risk.