Think, wouldn't a "bad" jobs/economic read be a GOOD thing?     

It just shows economic illiteracy and a commitment to buying votes rather than supporting rational policy.

I know it's been somewhat economically depressed, but I see some attractive properties for sale would love to hear from anyone that has invested in that area before.

Of course when the risk free rate is sub zero, those with capital are urged to deploy it (allow known as quantitative easing).Of course there are many other factors like operator experience, specific market, specific deal etc, but generally this is one of the largest factors.

The largest refinery in this hemisphere will be starting production in the USVI. 

I have seen 3 studies recently comparing home ownership compared to renting.  1) 50 out of 50 largest markets it is initially cheaper to rent than own 2) 97 out of 100 largest markets it is initially cheaper to rent than own 3) 95 out of 100 largest markets it is initially cheaper to rent than own.

Prices stopped climbing, unemployment grew, and individuals sud denly realized that they were no longer holding on to investments but rather playing in the world’s largest game of legalized gambling—and they had just lost.

Employment/Economic Diversity/Demand DriversNow if you can buy a house let's say 4-5 bedroom and have your kid live in one for 4-5 years and is the kind of kid who is responsible and a hard worker and a good networker and can keep the bedrooms rented for the next 4-5 years, there certainly could be an opportunity there.

Since condos need two types of insurance and many of the largest US companies pulled out, the cost tripled and with less coverage.

Our priorities in terms of market is there needs to be- anticipated economic growth (lots of tech companies are moving into Columbus),- prices need to allow us to buy in all cash (400k or less, ideally up to 300k),- we want the area to be safe (when looking into places like Dayton, OH or Memphis, TN for instance it looks like all our boxes are checked on paper, numbers wise but we realized quickly there are a lot of unsafe areas and we could have the potential for problem tenants)- yearly expenses to be relatively low (i.e. we are avoiding NYC and the tri state area, California, etc. for having extremely high taxes).Is our initial analysis on the right track for Columbus?