What does getting a "post-baccalaureate degree" (cue the marching band playing "Pomp and Circumstance") have to do with anything here? 

A good way to start narrowing down a search for Atlanta real estate is by ITP and OTP, then city/county, and then look at zip codes.  

That said, I figured that I might get some good feedback from all of you to save me some trouble or at least help me narrow down the field!

CNBS just released their ranking for HQ2....https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/16/as-amazon-narrows-...Based on this research... investing in any B+ cities will be safe bet... 

Bonus points if you narrow in a on a specific market too, but that doesn't need to be done right away.

Daniel,Please look into https://www.prospectnow.com This is the most effective way to narrow down your search by City, property type, size etc. 

. § §250.501-(b) and (e)).

I gotta differ with @Joe Splitrock and @Bernard B., and not just because i'm in the industry but because I use the tool myself and have for years.First I'd never argue that a 1031 is right every time. 

It is better to create a system to narrow the field of properties, and then run the math on the ones that fall into the narrowed criteria.

although I’m pretty familiar with everything outside of USDA.What I want to invest in:Right now I'm still in the research phase of my (fledgling) investing career but once I narrow down a few locations the plan is to start with a small SFR value add buy and hold.