And if you've managed the upkeep of your house just fine over the years, but the taxes have tripled, well, nuff said.I'm more thinking about the revitalization of all the boarded-up scary places in the neighborhood, where nobody lives and lower the overall neighborhood vibe.What I'm specifically wondering is if it's possible to buy a vacant house in Pittsburgh or Mechanicsville, restore it to its original attractive and decent livable-though-perhaps-small condition, and sell it under some sort of neighborhood program to a person who maybe rents there now, or who used to live there, or would like to live there who's not a middle-class white yuppie (and I totally include myself in this category), and make a small profit ($10,000 maybe, for a 2-4 month flip).And a more philosophical question -- is it possible to revitalize a neighborhood without changing it (from the way it was before decline)?

@Rob Anderson  Oh the weight one must carry to be just so right...and sarcastically insulting to a city, and resident investor that just might be successful.  

The same holds true for real estate investors as well.The Key here is that if you are looking at a very long holding period (i.e. willing these properties to your heirs) then the cash flow is going to carry more investor weight.

I would tell them that I care about the condition of the property and neighborhood and if they have any issues with tenants or upkeep of the property, to call me.  

A letter coming from an attorney carries a lot more weight than your text messages and phone calls.Tomorrow and this weekend is the Chinese New Year so I might be busy with family stuff, but I should be available to help after Monday.

I've been weighting these forums to reach out to local Michiganders like yourself for advice/insight to help me better understand & keep my ambitions high!

Lastly, service/companion animals do not have to be just dogs; they can also be other animals, such as cats or ferrets.http://www.nsarco.com/emotional-housing.htmlLandlords cannot: Ask a tenant to pay a deposit, fee, or surcharge in exchange for having a service or emotional support animal, even if they require such a practice from owners who wish to obtain pets in their dwelling.Require that an emotional support animal have any specific trainingRequire the emotional support animal to wear or carry any special collar, harness, vest, emblem, or other means of identifying it as such.Inquire about the extent of the disability, or ask for detailed medical records for the individual requesting the service or emotional support animal.Refuse to accommodate you and your animal because their insurance policy won't allow a species, breed, or weight.

What variables do you consider, how much weight do you put on each variable, etc.?

How much weight does the tax assessor's valuation have when negotiating a deal?

I'm a student of David's, but seeing this is my first post here, I'm not sure that'll hold any weight amongst the group.