That's a nasty looking fire Chuk, I just saw it on the news, glad you're far enough away, I was a bit worried.

There are many cities like Detroit (to risky with the car industry closing down) Oklahoma city is worth a look but best is to google "houses for sale in USA" or American Property partners, 21st Century US property.

I bought a 2 storey brick, tiloed roof 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom house with inground pool on 1/2 acre block with beautiful lawns in Oklahoma City in a good medium density suburb , schools, good transport etc  for US $89000 18 months ago, rented to a company with a positive return.

It takes time because there are so many properties on the market and you have to make sure you buy in the right area.

Cars are cheap in the U.S. too, in comparison to here. Do they have lower wages than us? I would rather be able to buy here, where I live

Cars are cheap in the U.S. too, in comparison to here. Do they have lower wages than us? I would rather be able to buy here, where I live

Houses purely investment, yes cars are much cheaper and can but a Beema for 1/2 the price or less and looked into it BUT cost to bring it out here and conversion to RH drive makes it really not worth the effort.

Cars are cheap in the U.S. too, in comparison to here. Do they have lower wages than us? I would rather be able to buy here, where I live

Yes, the wages are much lower. Hospitality/service workers get around $6 per hour, + tips. They need those tips.

It cost less to buy items than here though. You can still buy things for $1 or less, including food items.

It is bad that a lot of people lost their houses due to the GFC.