Learning the data that is driving the growth is enlightening and lots of trends and forecasting ideas start to stand out. 

I'm sure there is a way to give weight for particular attributes that are important to a Landlord, but I never did very well in statistics, LOL. 

As your Midwestern cities go, it really does stand out in regard to opportunity, particularly related to real estate.

It still has many good attributes, but I would not be buying here now.All of my properties are free of debt, and I'm well into the 7 figure profit zone, so its not all bad.

On a non-resident return, you carve out what amount of your total income is attributed to that state.

Or, would you all attribute that more to a general influx of people to the Houston area along with the mortgage rate being advantageous for those with saved capital?

Its combination of population and job growth, not to mention its awesome priced MF opportunities, makes it stand out! 

I think it has the right attributes and entry point for me as a new OOS investor and hey, why not (rhetorical, but comments welcome)?

They can help you understand exactly where the boundaries of the property are and verify that there's enough room to build what you have in mind.There can be other issues to watch out for too (wetlands, flood zones, perc test, access to utilities, the physical attributes of the land, etc), as I explain in the blog post mentioned above.

As an active investor (GP) that means developing all the attributes that are consistent with being a good sponsor, to be able to identify, acquire, manage, and exit and asset that provide passive investor like yourself the desired returns.