I can transform any room for $9-$10 and a few hours of podcast listening time! 

IE don't want to invest in a city that is dying.. but its still bottom line your talking about a rental.. and unless rents rise significantly  ( which they don't in any mid west market) or values rise significantly ( which they will in some of these hot little pockets of redevelopment in even most of the big cities of the US.. that's whats important those macro numbers of house holds and cost of living that's all just white noise.. people live there they are going to rent for what they rent for and that's about it..the most money is made on areas that are transforming..

I would focus on what I can afford, primarily positive cash flow properties.If cash flow is not an issue I would buy, bulldoze and wait for the area to transform at the expense of other speculators.

At one of the Self Directed IRA events a colleague suggested I read this book: The Power of Zero, Revised and Updated: How to Get to the 0% Tax Bracket and Transform Your Retirement by David McKnight. 

With my limited resources I have gotten 2 houses as rentals which have transformed my practice as I can choose who I work with.

After seeing what real estate can do for me, for my family and for my friends I'm ready to join alongside other real estate professionals and become part of this transformative industry!

Read as much as you can about Real Estate Investing, (I have bought the Bigger Pocket books and love them (Un-paid plug here) Listen to the Pod casts from BP, I have down-loaded them and listen to one every day, great Juice for the Mind and really opens your eyes to strategies you can exploreStart simple, by this I mean look around your own town, study whats hot, whats not and whats going to move ahead, by this I mean look for areas close to Down Town that are showing signs of new life, this is a sign that often old and ugly areas are now starting to transform and you can get in on the ground floor and great prices.

Used to live in Lakewood myself, so it's great to see such a beautiful transformation :) Would you mind going into detail about the landscaping in the front and back yards? 

I love the idea of transforming homes!

There are many stores that were online only but now are adding in physical stores (Amazon included) which should tell people brick and mortar is not going away just transforming and updating like any industry across the board in the United States as times change.Dollar Stores typically have a size of about 10,000 to 12,000 sq ft and pay about 8 to 10 bucks a foot in rent for freestanding unless location is stellar and then I have seen sometimes up to 14 or so a foot in most markets.