It could be a highway that separates them, it could be a different school district or as simple as a different high school territory.

Ok, sure, we are part of Europe, but the honest truth is that a lot of things are just endemic to the reality of the local country and, inside the country, to the reality of the region.To begin, we have to understand that Portugal is about 1000 miles x 300 miles in terms of territory what makes it easy to get around but, first problem, in small countries, eveything seems "far away".Also, because we are small, the notion of "country" is different, in the perspective of those living and investing here.

CODE CH. 5-12-110(f)}• If, contrary to the lease, an essential service is not provided, or if the landlord fails to maintain the building in material compliance with the Code to such an extent that such failure constitutes an immediate danger to the health and safety of the tenant, and the tenant or tenant’s family or guests are not responsible for such failure, after giving written notice, the tenant may do ONE of the following:1)Procure substitute service, and upon presenting paid receipts to the landlord, deduct the cost from the rent; OR2)File suit against the landlord and recover damages based on the reduced value of the dwelling unit; OR3)Procure substitute housing and be excused from paying rent for that period.

Any insights and recommendations would be greatly appreciated as I explore opportunities beyond my familiar territory.

@Jeremy Marek We approve pets only with proof that the pet is spayed or neutered since it shows that the owner is responsible, to prevent a litter of puppies living in the house, and to lower the chance of the dog marking their territory by peeing inside.

US property can only be exchanged for US property (or a few select US territories).  

Someone whose territory you won't encroach on but close enough where the economics are relatively similar.

This means 2 connecting flights) and one year ago decided to start investing in Detroit MI, I started traveling, knowing the city, the trends, talking to locals, realtors, CPAs, attorneys and all type of people you can imagine (I also stopped the car in one of most dangerous Detroit neighborhoods and started talking to locals.

Spayed/neutered pets, in general, are less territorial (fewer bites & fights theoretically).

The best source of high crime cities is Neighborhood Scouts top 100 most dangerous US cities list.A couple of additional thoughts:ROI and similar metrics are only a snapshot in time.