I approached the REO bank that owned the condo complex a year later when they're still stuck with 30 units and got another one for $40K.

Because of that, the first layer of complexity could be beneficial due to an exit of 100-160k.  

The state of Oregon and the city of Eugene both have complex and unforgiving regulations that most often favor the tenant, so it is important that you learn about these laws so that you can make strategic choices now that avoid pitfalls later.Fortunately,  the Oregon Rental Housing Association at the state level and the Rental Owners Association of Lane county at the local level can provide you with excellent resources. 

You learn a lot about data and analysis, renovation costs and dealing with tenants which can mitigate some of the fear of investing.

But with Intel's $20 billion plant, Google's three data centers, and land buys by Amazon and Meta, Columbus is worth it!

It's a complex process and there are a lot of unknowns for a first time investor.

Propstream is great, you can get a lot of data off of there as well as driving for dollars which I believe is also around $99/month. 

Do you rely on specific data sources, gut instincts, or perhaps a blend of both?

Most free sources like realtor.com, zillow.com pull data from county/public tax records. 

Originally under contract with a wholesaler, I resolved complex development issues, including acquiring and recombining an adjacent parcel, to meet zoning requirements under the city's new UDO laws.