If your goal is to offset your mortgage with a house hack then Lowell would be a good bet, but if you're looking for a longer term appreciation play then the areas closer to the city would be better, although the offset from cashflow may be lower than what you're looking for.A good step for you would be to dig into specific areas more as @Lien Vuong noted above.

Most of the sales around me don't have that much to buy, so not like you can go every month and buy for cash $1,000,000. 

The only way you're going to know about the cause one way or the other is to have a plumber inspect and troubleshoot.

The 1031 will let you get there using the tax dollars for your benefit rather than paying them to the government - a big bump to your net return.

Hi newbie here at 41 looking to find my first STR.

When investing in real estate, having multiple exit strategies is key.For a single investment property, make sure the numbers work for both scenarios: 1️) If you decide to sell the home, the deal should produce a solid return. 2️) If you need to rent it out, the rental income should cover expenses and provide a profit.Flexibility is what saves you when things don’t turn out as planned.

One can be close to a hands off, passive investment depending on a few things.

@Lucas Schlund not seeing oversaturation in Metro Detroit, but there is some up in the Traverse City area - which implemented STR controls.Yes, it's always a good idea to buy an STR property that you can at least break-even if you have to turn into an LTR. 

For example, needing a driveway/access point off a State owned highway is something to be discussed immediately.

We are experiencing fantastic appreciation here, but most investors want cash flow or both and this isn't the right market for that if you are new(er).I am a full time Realtor® and investor in this area so I would be happy to help navigate this with you if you need some help.