@Tony Schmucker Now that you know all of those markets work from a Macro perspective you should look to see where you want to live for 2-3 years and what your and your wife's income will be in those markets.

Fortunately for me, I started investing a time in the market where everything went up.  

Plenty of investors work the Atlanta market but the ROI is better in Huntsville and Atlanta is tenant friendly.

Off Market, and KREIA are just a few places to look. 

While Colorado's market can be challenging due to high prices, exploring suburbs like Colorado Springs or Pueblo, or even considering out-of-state markets in the Midwest or Southeast, can open up better cash flow opportunities.

In high barrier markets, rents have gotten stronger but not the double digit growth we had seen, which was an anomaly.  

It is not that good at the price point of DC or in my market (but better than my market).  

.-- lawton is a very cheap market and has a high demand for renters.

Quote from @Marcus Auerbach: Are the markets pricing in an expectation of inflation? 

Much like other markets in the Midwest, investors go to our market because of the low barrier to entry.