I would examine those markets to see if the deals would work with what you want to spend because then you have boots on the ground and/or a competitive advantage in that area instead of choosing a town you don't know and building a whole time that are only verified online.

Atlanta is a terrific market and that's why competition is so fierce here. 

You’ll usually find that decent deals attract savvy competition and if a deal has hair on it, the slugs come out.

I have been debating if I should be selling or renting my home and I think I am leaning towards renting it out as real estate is such a hard thing to get especially in a competitive market as mine.

The area is definitely competitive price wise but I see significant upside being so close to downtown.

I do know how to set myself apart from the competition though.  

I don't care what it is, if you're good at it, you do that, not books, and you probably don't want your competition to be better.

There are more and more lenders allowing for STR's on 30-yr products, and the space is becoming more competitive, which is great for investors!

One more question...In the video I shared above, Anson Young says he likes to search for real estate deals in cities of 100K-250K people, since that level population supports demand and there's less competition than in the major cities.

Best of luck finding good flips now, they get quite competitive and the margins keep getting thinner!