Thank you for any response What it sounds like is you are thinking of starting a turn key style business.

Is there somewhere online I can pull data to identify trends by zip code?  

Hello Diana, to answer your first question, if the comps are the most recent and have similar square footage, bedroom and bathroom count, same style...etc they it should be close.To answer your second question, PM me with the details on city of the property, what you are looking for as far as cash out, what you believe the value of the property is, what date and year you purchased the house, and what was the purchase price. 

Anecdotally, it seems like an area that is at the beginning of an upward trend and with its location close to the "city center", walkability/bikability, Olmsted park, historic character, and lots of new businesses popping up.  

Condos seem to be the trend here as many other beach areas aren't affordable.

If it is on a downward trend, as Warren buffet said, be greedy when others are fearful.

We spoke with an accountant and, as I imagined, he explained that my business model of buying foreclosures to buy/hold/sell in a trending market was ideal for father to get tax breaks and for consistent cashflow.

While the numbers did work out (on paper at least), it just came down to my personal style.

Then figure out what style/type of investing you want to do.

As a native Midwesterner, I know that RE trends tend to start on the coast and move in.