They are areas with high concentrations of educated people, convenient geolocation, and lower rents and real estate prices than your tier 1 cities.

They have crushed their financial future gambling on future results.

An informed gamble along with aggressive advertising is usually your best bet in avoiding long vacancies in these neighborhoods.

Here are some of the ways you can strengthen your offer & protect yourself from being in a bad situation: 1) if possible - get an inspection before the offer deadline & determine if making an offer non-contingent upon inspection makes sense 2) use an escalation clause3) write a "love letter" or hop on camera to tell the sellers how much you & your boyfriend love the home 4) work with a lender that will underwrite you before having an executed contract. 5) have your lender call the listing agent to confirm that you're financially rock solid6) close at the seller's convenience 7) have your agent build rapport with the listing agent

Choose one that best fits your goals, timeline, and convenience.

Nobody has a crystal ball, so that's the gamble. 

But, it's the reason your local convenience store has a "$5 minimum for credit card purchases". 

Both are a convenient locations for people who work in Baltimore and still want to be close to the city without actually living in it .

ARMs are a gamble.

They're taking a bit of a gamble, hoping that once the building is finished, someone will want to buy or rent it,( however, if your in the growing markets you don't have to worry about that)These are the Pros :a spec build presents property investors with the potential for high profits, faster project turnover, design control, portfolio diversification, flexibility in property choices, and the ability to leverage market demand for increased returns on investment.