I've used Realtor.com crime maps to help gauge the safety of some of the neighborhoods, but I realize those only paint part of the picture.

I have also done some other research and have read about Fannie Mae home-style loan which basically encompasses what I have been saying and combines the cost of a "fix-er-upper" and the cost of said repairs, and wondered if this is common.

Depending on what kind of neighborhoods you want to invest in you can but they will be C to D level areas. 

We manage a Rental Portfolio valued at $800M, we are constructing over $600M of new Apartments and some Condos now, and are selling about $50M of our finished projects now.We buy only top projects in high urban demand in fill neighborhoods that are vetted by our team of professionals and banking partners for complete feasibility before starting.

I have been in Detroit all my life so I am pretty familiar with the neighborhoods.

But forcing someone to close or sell  me their property it's just not my style.

Thry are still building out the rest of our neighborhood and still doing the same floor plan we have but it cost $75k more then what we paid for a 3 year old well maintained home. 

The other areas of Camden are still pretty scary neighborhoods.  

Property 2: 6 unit property (2 buildings on one lot in a mixed neighborhood; the first building has 4 units and the building behind it has 2 units)If I was asked, I'd say that Property A is commercial and Property B isn't but that's just my opinion.

The property that I'm looking at is 1/2 duplex in an up and coming neighborhood and I have barely enough money saved up for a 4% down payment.