The previous owners skipped town and the house sat until the bank took ownership and listed the house for sale.

My area has relatively lucrative SFR rental market since the purchase prices of homes in the small towns around here(Redwood Falls, MN) are quite low compared to anything in the Metro.

Otherwise, join one of the many meetups that happen around town.

I live in a pretty sought-after town just outside of Topeka, Ks (Silver Lake). 

I left town for a couple days. with regards to your statement: over the next 10 years- not a chance.

To @Brandon Cooper's point: 2/1 rents in this town are around $2100/month, so you're not even close to the 1% rule.

I've found another place outside of town that I'm going to make plans to go see.

You can invest out of state but is there a city of town that you know that I’d affordable?

If its more important to have a place in a nice part of town because its becoming a primary residence you can still rent it in the meantime for decent miney with the right strategy.

Demand in the market can be influenced by job growth & net migration, industry breakdown of the market, new product coming online, landlord/tenant laws, and many other factors.Location - is it in a good or bad part of town?