I would pay attention to the demand in that area as well as the location and curb appeal. 

Looks like I’ll be paying close attention to the neighborhood I hopes that another one will be listed soon.

Check out city-data for demographics.For Syracuse it says:White alone 46.9%Black alone 29.7%Hispanic  10.0%Asian alone 8.7%Two or more races 3.7%American Indian alone 0.8%Read more: http://www.city-data.com/city/Syracuse-New-York.htmlI would guess this is similar to Rochester and Buffalo and Albany.I lived in Ithaca for a while, but don't really pay attention to colors....I would guess it is pretty diverse too, but prices seemed a little higher to me in that area.   

You can bring this to your Broker's attention and have him/her help you with this.Best of luck!

Readers are advised to seek professional advice.

I learned to pay closer attention to the GC.

So far it has all been mostly for fun, but as retirement seems to be something that is coming whether I want it or not then I figure it is time to pay more attention to it all.Kathie, I have family in Hot Springs and get up there every so often, I may drop in.David

Responding to the negative comments can clarify the comment (or at least give the opportunity for the readers to make a better decision.) 

I am in the process of putting my place up for rent and during this process as I was thinking through every detail that needed attention I came across the water bill.

That always makes the request go away.To answer your other question, whenever I am at a property I always have my eyes open for deferred maintenance of things that will need my attention in the near future.