That's awesome Thomas! To be completely honest, I moved (transferred jobs) to Knoxville in 2012. While I'm getting to know this area pretty well and have been vigorously analyzing my local market, I really don't know much about the Chattanooga market. I've heard Chattanooga is Tennessee's 2nd fastest growing city and would believe it. I'm sure there's many incredible opportunities in that area. The great thing about many of the cities in east TN, in my opinion, is that you can find affordable housing and deals in many good areas. TN is also a very business friendly state and employment is strong. Mind you, I moved here from Vermont where property costs and taxes are outrageous (I also lived in LA for a little over a year as well so I know prices out your way almost seem untouchable).
While I'm certainly open to eventually investing outside my localish area (even out of state), I think I'd really like to focus on my local market for my first couple deals to get my feet wet, with local investors who can walk me through the process. I'm always open to partnership if a great deal can be found and structured in a way that could benefit all parties. I'll shoot you a PM soon. Thanks!