I would love to start in Detroit since I'm kind of local (25 minutes west of downtown).

IE pre sold the delivered logs this is done through a timber deed.. like you have a warrnety deed or Grant deed.. in the Northwest or west coast you also have Timber deeds.. timber standing is just like a rental house its real property ..

One street makes a world of difference between minor and major crime.For section 8 specifically, lots of West coast investors came in over the last few years and bought a ton of homes which has given Sec 8 tenants a ton of supply to choose from.

My step daughters inherited a few duplex's there so I know the challenges you talk about. . but there is NOTHING in the PDX metro area including Longview Kelso that is like a TRUE mid west or EAST coast Deep south ghetto or even Ghettos in the Bay Area or LA... whole different kettle of fish... that is a fact.

So, we took a gamble and sold our home we forced sweat equity into and took our equity and ran west to start over again.

I'd avoid anything west of highway 51 though. 150K is on the high end of that zip, as well as the 1350 rent, but I'm comparing it to existing properties, not new construction.

As you know or maybe know my niche is in funding low value assets in 7 mid west and upper mid west markets..

One can roll right up 5 or 99 from Bakersfield to Yreka and find props that " cash flow" although most folks that are not west coast based probably don't realize that CA is 900 miles from San Diego to Yreka  thats half way to the mid west  :) 

Both The east coast and The West coast of the US have high taxes, high property taxes, high transfer taxes and are more likely to raise taxes than anywhere else.For the best places to invest in today's market:Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Michigan (if you do it right), Texas (other than Austin or Dallas), Indiana, Oklahoma, and almost anywhere else in the mid section of the country.

Right now I am considering the student rental market in West Chester.