If inflation picks up, 4% is going to be pretty nice.

Spent the day picking the brain of the seller and team that I'm working with, so that alone was valuable.I would recommend that any out of state investors make a trip out, to meet the team and get a feel for the area.

With specific finishes, you have to pick them out at your big box stores, and build a "finish schedule" or specifications page, then bind it to your contract.

Most will not pick up the "recorded deeds" and none will pick up a "non recorded deed" or the various other ways the owner may have transferred his ownership interest to another.The mailing may be worth a try, but there are better ways to invest in Michigan.

Is there any builders on here that I can shadow, or pick their brain?  

I would love to get advice from individuals on the best way to pick these contacts up.

And if you cant even pick out a decent realtor, how on gods green earth are you going to pick out a good contractor, electrician, roofer, etc?

They may have sold them for dirt cheap to the listing agent/ part owner if I had to guess.I'm planning on picking up a buy and hold. 

From what I can see from the windows it seems the bank has kept the utilities and AC on, and aside from a carpet cleaning and some paint it is pretty clean.All that being said I'm am thinking of picking it up to rent for a few years, then I'll upgrade the kitchen and flooring and move into it, and rent my current home, or sell it depending on how strong the market is and move on to the next investment.Problem is that while I have awesome credit (820+) and work history, I only have maybe 5k cash I can use for the property, the rest needs to be mortgaged.

@Tariq Bahay excellent, now I should learn how to use a screwdriver, "Pick up screwdriver from handle with right hand" there ends lesson one.