Here's my local market when it comes to Real Estate transactions in the last 12 months. The darker blue the better the appreciation (15%-20% or more). The darker the red means there's a fire sale going on and prices are on the decline. Don't ever go by generalized reports saying your market is doing well. Its much more granular than that. There are pockets doing well. You just need to know how to find them. I use this tool so very often

Next shot below is a value on a per foot basis. The darker the blue the greater the amount per square foot of the home on average.

How about actual sales price vs. listing price? Below, the darker the red the more the discount. Darker the blue the more there's bidding wars going on!

There's much more I can see visually about a market before deciding if it makes sense to invest in it. Here's concentration of distressed properties with the darker the red the higher the concentration:

What's great about this data is that you aren't relying upon a gut feeling or hearsay to determine what your next move should be. And there's plenty more on what I can see. So what are you buying into?