What specific indicators should I look for to gauge the future appreciation potential of a neighborhood?

I am 19 years active duty Air Force and have used the Va loan 4 times for purchases with three of them being foreclosures with instant equity.

All in all, it really depends on how they are built and maintained once someone purchases the home and moves into one.  

The POA can be hard to deal with, specifically with STR’s, but so far is manageable. 

Are you looking for an all-in-one type of solution, or are you looking to solve a specific problem?  

As someone who doesn't have a massive sphere in their market, best specific advice for networking to grow that sphere quickly?

It's also possible that they were in violation of the license law in NC but I'm not really familiar with the specifics of that law but it would not be unusual to specify that they can't blackball another agent's listing.

Specifically, there's job growth (Intel, Honda, Amazon, Nationwide, etc) and the population is growing (unlike Cleveland or Cincy).

If you want to network or ask specific questions about your local market, go to your local real estate forum and connect with investors from your area: https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/86-local-real-estate-networking5.

I currently live in Southern California but am looking to dip my toes into real estate investing via purchasing a rental investment property in Kansas City (I have roots there, visit fairly often, have real estate connections there, etc.).