We're on the fence about a similar deal and comps are … not very comparable.

Always easier to succeed close to home.Also, unless you plan to pursue STR market, up north doesn't offer comparable returns to the Metro Detroit market.You might want to follow the "Deep Dive" series we're doing on our BiggerPockets blog about Metro Detroit cities, City of Detroit Neighborhoods and comparing Metro Detroit to other hotspots investors usually consider:https://www.biggerpockets.com/...

We don’t know any PMCs to recommend in the area mentioned, but since selecting the wrong PMC is usually more harmful than selecting a bad tenant, you might want to read our series about “How to Screen a PMC Better than a Tenant”:https://www.biggerpockets.com/member-blogs/3094/91877-how-to-screen-a-pmc-better-than-a-tenant-part-1-services-and-processesWe recommend you get management contracts from several PMCs and compare the services they cover and, more importantly, what they each DO NOT cover.

Evaluate locations based on the ten years preceding the COVID times compared to the current inflation rate (>5%).Population Size - Greater than 1 million.

As you know, you won't get the same amount of interest right now compared to the spring and summer months, so you could easily do a 4-6 month lease to start with the new tenant, and then raise the rents to market or re-rent it during the prime rental months of April-August when there are way more people looking to move. 2) I wouldn't let your place sit vacant since it sounds like a wonderful home, and there is still a lot of demand for rentals, especially detached single family homes.3) Most travel nurses rent studios and one bedroom type places/basement apartments since they don't need all that space, but it wouldn't be that impossible to find 4 travel nurses, maybe a little more work on your part.  

We don’t know any PMCs to recommend in the area mentioned, but since selecting the wrong PMC is usually more harmful than selecting a bad tenant, you might want to read our series about “How to Screen a PMC Better than a Tenant”:https://www.biggerpockets.com/member-blogs/3094/91877-how-to-screen-a-pmc-better-than-a-tenant-part-1-services-and-processesWe recommend you get management contracts from several PMCs and compare the services they cover and, more importantly, what they each DO NOT cover.

I wanted to understand if any kind of debt (conventional mortgage, HELOC, cash-out refi)  on the house will be considered as COST that I spend money on rental property and they will provide me tax saving, compare to having paid-off house, in the same degree/amount. 

You really just have to compare the ROI for each investment.

These values change based on comparable sales in each neighborhood, and therefore it’s hard to put a nationwide number on the amount you may lose by doing the rehab.Discounts create profits.

I have a question and a concern.Question - what are the comparable property values within mile radius?