First property was our previous primary home in Seattle (White Center) that grew appreciation like crazy, so we kept it as a rental and now have a HELOC for our next deal. 

Building permit applications, zoning changes, unemployment rate, proximity to centers of employment, transportation bond applications, news reports about major employers targeting a market are all places you can look for growth indicators. 

[Note: the de minimis was $500 at the time they wrote this; it was later increased to $2,500]As the above example alludes to, the Tangible Property Regulations that include the de minimis safe harbor https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/26/1.263(a)-1 are centered on the concept of "unit of property" - a complicated concept that basically treats the entire house as a unit of property, with some exceptions.

We got nailed a few years ago when the city insisted that the water line at the center of the street main broke & because it was old lead pipe they would NOT repair it.

I am currently in Dallas but looking to move back to my hometown in Houston Texas to go to school in the medical center.

(especially in C-neighborhoods)If you are asking about new development people want to live near amenities like schools, grocery stores, shopping centers, entertainment, downtown areas etc.  

Hotel Occupancy TaxThe City of San Antonio’s Hotel Occupancy Tax rate is 9 percent, comprised of a 7 percent general occupancy tax and an additional 2 percent for the Convention Center expansion.

Otherwise, windows can be gotten at any building supply center for the same(ish) price as the manufacture.

.), so that exactly as of the refi closing date, exactly that maximum allowed were late, and not a single more than that.Quirky thing about algorithmic lending centered around checkboxes, sometimes following the algorithm gets you a "yes" that should probably be a "no," and sometimes it goes the other direction too. 

In my area, North Center, $600K -$700K is teardown price for a 1.6M SFH new construction.