@Jay Hinrichs knows Oregon quite well and hopefully he chips in here...

Leave a trailof  some potato chips , chetos , and other munchies .

Would it be weird for a total stranger to be giving you chocolate chip cookies, while talking about why you're selling your house?

What I look for is stuff like garbage bag windows, boarded up windows and doors, over-filled mailboxs, unkept garden/flower bed, tall grass and exterior house paint chipping away.When I've approached some of these houses, many of the home owners were nice people, have no problems with their finances and not looking to sell whatsoever. 

Typical items that appear on the VA/FHA inspection are chipping paint, steps that do not have a hand rails and GFI outlets.  

Intel is a great example, who is building the largest chip manufacturing plant in the US right here, and it will be a $20 billion dollar investment that brings a few new thousand jobs.https://www.dispatch.com/story/business/2022/01/21/intel-ohio-building-computer-chip-factories-licking-county-jersey-township/9173472002/ Another example of economic growth is the upcoming Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Inpatient Hospital which is a 1.9million square foot hospital that will bring over 800 new beds and a thousand new jobs. https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/new-osu-hospital-expected-to-transform-health-careHere are a few more recent investments https://www.10tv.com/article/money/business/hydrogen-power-company-hyperion-bringing-700-jobs-to-columbus/530-25907aab-5517-4661-a9f3-d2ed2d5be6b0 https://news.wosu.org/news/2022-02-08/rumpke-to-build-50-million-recycling-facility-in-columbus Check out The Complete Guide to the Columbus, Ohio Real Estate Market which goes through the Columbus, Ohio market in depth and will give you a better scope of where the highest levels of growth are taking place and where to look to invest.

Very well said Chip, 

Then when chips were back up, the naysayers were 'searching for deals'.

Originally posted by @Chip Marce:Here is my absurd, self-righteous advice.  

Whenever I could wanted to attend local Real Estate Seminar, monthly meetings; etc they usually not willing to chip in for hired ASL interpreters because I won’t be able to understand what he or she speaking about.