Look for states and cities that have positive population and wage trends. 

The trend of median home prices is positive in Humboldt Park (~22% last year) but most of the value increase is probably coming from NE Humboldt Park.

Commercial RE has depends more on market trends (as someone who owns a retail strip mall what they think about Amazon) and MF can only be sold to another investor, who wants a discount.

I'm curious because I've talked with a few different people who had a couple of different reasons and now I'm trying to see what the general trend is for people who decided to invest out of state. 

There has been a drop of nearly 3,500 CSL licence holders statewide over the past 5 years and the trend is continuing in that direction. 

It doesn't have to be sales related, but can be sometimes.i.e.Local monthly market updateBest budget remodel optionsSeasonal home maintenance tipsNew home design trends for this yearMortgage mistakes to avoid (also helps homeowner who refinance)Include a disclaimer ('not financial, tax or legal advice') for appropriate topics.Monthly market updates are easy and can be done with a postcard.

I also think a new property have a better potential for future appreciation and to implement/build from the scratch the latest trends.

Is this trend going to be around for much longer or are we on the cusp of a correction of sorts?....

John - There are some great reports out there that focus on the positively trending markets and are free.

Over-improving seems to be the trend lately as end buyers are driving prices up like crazy, paying all sorts of nutty premiums.