There are some ok spots in Decatur if you find the right neighborhood, but those won't be the ones dropping in price by 5-10k at a time.

I still did some painting and patch on a few spots.  

key=OVoxNVhwZnZRRlNyM1JJNFhIRThEWFJsMjI1eHVBI made some notes from the walk through:Curb appeal: House- yard work, shutters, repair driveway cracks, small porch for side entrance, some brick sealing / cleaning up wiring, new gutters, new flashing, 2 window (dual pain) replacement, door refinish, some trim replacement, some roof repair.Garages & Shed - Check code for add on shed (add on is nicer), foundation sunk and cracked in 2 spots, check electrical, new garage doors, new shingles on garage, some roof wood repair, Demo Shed and have firepit/patio on slab.Inside Home:Overall- Electrical (multiple types of outlets, grounded/not grounded), Plumbing (Galvanized rusting in most of house), Possible mold remediation, Roof (Seems ok, maybe new by some windows and seal some areas), How is furnace and where was air conditioning. 

I encourage to spend a few days in Buffalo looking for local spots.

But your base req are spot on!

Investing in your own home town from a distance bears little resemblance to picking a spot on the map and throwing a dart (i.e. what seems to pass for a lot of "out-of-state investing"). 

I talk to investors on a daily basis and most are going to Listsource or propstsream to a source the list of properties based on whatever their sweet spot or criteria are.

I go into detail about how to spot these fake lenders in other posts I've written, like in my response under this thread here: How do I spot scam lenders?

@Cynthia Garcia Here are the Trade Area Reports if you want a demographic read on some hot spots in OhioClevelandDaytonCincinnatiColumbusToledo

An exception would be extensive storm damage that goes beyond the surface and affects multiple areas.The most common repairs performed on roofs include:90-95 percent occur around flashingBlown- Off or loose shinglesPonding water due to insufficient protective measuresPunctures or penetrations relegated to a single areaShingles that are curling upwards may mean there are leaks underneath the surface or that water is getting into parts of a roof where it shouldn’t be going. roofs with curled shingles often need to be replaced within 1-5 years.Complete replacement is typically recommended when:Damage extends below a roof’s surface layerRepairs are becoming increasingly frequentBald spots are showing up where granules( materials that provide added protection to a roof) are missingA roof is more than 20- 25 years old or has undergone too many re-roofs to make re-roofing a safe option againAn existing roof was poorly installed or not installed according to codeRoof replacement doesn’t necessarily mean completely tearing off an existing roof and starting over from scratch.