It's currently a buyer's market, which is great if you're tired of bidding wars in other areas, but looking at it from a 5-10-20yr lens, what are the indicators that it will turn around?

Len

I look at real estate through a risk vs. reward lens and would much rather put $25k elsewhere and make more money faster with less risk personally. 

The KC housing market can be a cash cow, but analyzing each property with a 360 lens is imperative to succeed in the long game of investing. 

If the sum total of your lens is backwards, staring into history lamenting for a mulligan, you will NEVER have a future.

I'd start by deciding what types of investments you'll be making (syndications, lending, turnkeys, etc) and use that as a lens to inform your decision.