It has been going up 15% for the past couple years. https://www.weknowboise.com/blog/real-estate-market-trends/ That's not to say I want to 'bet' on appreciation, because I do not want to be playing that game.

to be an actual fix and flip investor / business  its quite capital intensive.. and just a down payment is just a drop in the bucket of the capital required.your best bet is to put a little private network together if you really want to do this.or get your license and specialize in finding these types of properties for fix and flippers.. make a commish selling it for them.. and then the list back.. that's what agents in our market here do and they will knock down 250 to 500k a year no sweat in commish with no risks of borrowing money or a flip that did not work.

It seems with any new investments out of state is the best bet.

Bates-Hendricks and Arsenal Heights are real close to FS so it seems a natural bet that one or both areas will change in a similar way--they might-- but my hunch is it will take several years for market appreciation in those areas. 

I'm betting once folks from California figure out that investing in Arizona is easier and safer than in California we'll see an up swing from there. 

Since you have already identified your niche, the best bet would be to 1) educate yourself via books and podacts2) network with like-minded investors via REI clubs and events.

Asking a fellow RE attorney would be your best bet.

I bet my shady self-encumbrance gets bounced, but that's ok. 

Your best bet is to buy a rowhouse, or condo if you can't afford a rowhouse, in an attractive part of the district and rent it out by the room.

While in 5 years I have built up a passive income stream from over 30 doors now while maintaining the W2 income as "reserves" and allowing me to take bets that I won't feel comfortable with if I were doing this full time.