My husband and I just made a trip down and toured a number of what seemed like attractive options, spanning neighborhoods including Avenida Balboa, Costa del Este, and Clayton (among others).

They tend to attract big companies, hospitable systems, cool downtowns with good restaurants, lots of events, and are usually a 1-2 hour drive from a major metro and airport.

For example, Indianapolis is a market that’s been attracting a lot of attention from investors lately because of its affordability, solid rent returns, and growing population.

This starts early on with preventing what could potentially go wrong by attracting an awesome tenant and looking at what vulnerabilites currently exist in your property.  

I heard somewhere buy C property in B area and attract A tenants.

You are 100% on the right track. 2-1 buydowns are attractive options offered by sellers/builders to help improve monthly affordability but in all reality you aren't saving anything. 

Attractively priced properties still receive multiple offers, often above the asking price.

But I'm attracted to the asset class, and the possibilities for scaling and financial independence.My time at my current job (almost 15 years of tenure) is winding to a close, and years ago I swore to myself that this would be the last time I would have "a boss".

However, something to consider is that in midwest markets, big multi family properties tend to attract lower quality tenants.

Or you could use the money and go looking for a better property - that would attract better tenants.