CF rentals also have benefit of paper lossesGood strategy.

I've been reading about creative financing options like "rent to own", and "subject to" and could see that there are a lot benefits in using those strategies.  

Senior Citizen tax benefits hint that the owner might be dead so I also check the Social Security Death Index (Ancestry.com, subscriber service).CAMA.

Having your Real Estate License is a huge benefit, and that is something that I'm considering down the road if not sooner.  

Plus if the senior loan goes to sale they can benefit from a cash for keys deal if the bank takes it back or if an investor buys it. 

You benefit because you've locked in a lower interest rate on fixed terms.  

Detroit is like any other city with it's bad areas with one bonus...it has the extra benefit of the news media's love for the "story", and the "story" being that "one more time in Detroit".  

The local REIAs and meetups really help develop relationships that can benefit you over time.

I don't claim to be the end-all-be-all guru but I do buy property with my wife and we are successful landlords and I do love and am passionate about real estate as an asset class due to the tax benefits and control that it offers over other types of investments.

I am sure the community will benefit with anything you can share.