Job growth, population growth, diversity of industries, etc.

Price growth and population growth have gone hand-in-hand the last two decades so at this point, supply and demand are no longer in sync and that has contributed to high prices just about everywhere in the US.

I currently own and self manage 16 single family rentals, and while it hasn't been to difficult or time consuming, I intend to continue to grow my portfolio and can see a need to hand of many of the tasks I currently oversee.

I believe La Pine is in the path of growth for the Bend area and prices here were 100k-200k less for comparable homes.

@Edward C.Northern suburbs seem to be doing well (Cedar Park, Round Rock), but given the amount of growth there coupled with low inventory it makes sense.  

Columbus is a top five appreciating city in the US with an unexpected mix of cash flow which is backed up by a population and job growth.

All markets you list will still be cities with populations forever, and your exit will be to a resident in that market, so population growth/decline, employment drivers, etc are of less concern relative to a large, institutional sized apartment complex.  

Once you have this team in place, you should be able to confidently invest in any market.As for picking a specific market - I would go after one with an increasing job and population growth.

Probably not.I would put those off first, or at least as big a portion as you can (at $137k a year you should be able to make a dent in these quickly).Reserve your future debts for assets, something that is going to bring in money.This ultimately comes down to a mindset for future financial growth and can set a precedent for future decisions on taking on other debts.Humbly - AK

As both an investor and local to Wilmington it is experiencing a lot of growth and I think there is still much more to come!