This should decrease the odds of being a bad deal.

What we would pay out of pocket for mortgage would decrease by about $200.  

Now, if rents don't cover costs or if you think the market has a good chance of decreasing, flipping probably makes sense.

I know plenty of people swear by it   But that’s following the crowd to me  https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/hudson-valley/news/2019/05/09/newburgh-police-celebrate-drastic-decreases-in-violent-crime--plan-next-steps-for-a-safer-city

Since your mortgage is lower you can stomach a rent decrease and still have a better shot at staying cash-flow positive.2.)

Furthermore I believe the necessity to work in crowded downtown areas is only going to decrease as we become more mobile as a society.  

Anything is possible, however it's not likely for rates to continue decreasing, especially not in the long runThe pro of an ARM right now is that you can save a few dollars on interest, however the negative is that you'll be far more exposed to rate changes in the future.

When I decrease the radius to a more street to street basis I am surprised to find some great little neighborhoods.

If your ROI is greater than 8.75% and you have cash reserves to offset the decrease in liquidity, go aggressive and keep expanding (if allowed by the bank).  

This would greatly decrease the  number of no-shows (if they had already taken the time to complete an application they are likely very serious).A handful of our users are doing that since the application is online and can be completed in a few minutes.