I'd just leave it be unless you feel it's a safety hazard for fires having a garage full of flamable junk or an invitation for mice to breed and habitat in countless boxes of old smelly clothes that they'll never wear again. 

lol Ask all the questions you like, there's plenty of great people on here to chime in with their thoughts.

Sent over invite to connect and PM.

I would not label crowdfunding as risky overall (plenty of people get conned in person as well) but I agree with @Chris Seveney and others who have said that due diligence on the sponsor/operator is paramount.

There’s plenty of resources.

But if you are moving quickly, there are still plenty of deals to be had all over the city.

@Raphael Abreu there are plenty out there.

I will third looking into Philadelphia-  its close enough to NY where you could reasonably come down and check out neighborhoods your interested in first hand, and there are plenty of good deals if you know where to look. 

That area is much more reasonable and I think plenty of opportunity still.

But these should get you started and there are plenty of good sites to do your research, like data use, city-data, area vibes, neighborhood scout.Please, feel free to shoot me a message if you have any questions or just want to chat!