I'm currently living in Tennessee and travel the state east to west several times a year.

There's a few places on the east coast that look promising but I'm mainly looking at Connecticut.

Scheduled to open in the summer of 2019, the $51 million, five- story, 267-unit development will be a large and distinctive presence on the east side of Water Street.- In the past five years, Mobile has experienced a 33% increase in manufacturing jobs compared with about 8% nationally.- McGowin Park developed a huge retail space in 2015 which consists of: 199,500- square-foot retail shopping center containing a future expansion area, five restaurant "pads" and 4.5 acres of outparcel development, and the west development consists of a 148,000-square-foot anchor store with an associated gas station, an 89,600-square-foot shopping center and 7.41 acres of outparcel area.

I see a lot of east and west coast investors investing in the Columbus market.

Big thoughts are I'm 43 and can retire from my W2 career (Middle school principal) in 10 years, and I want my investments ready and waiting on me then.

It was pretty much a nightmare because they were in near-east Dallas and they stuff we looked at was burglarized to the max.  

I grew up on the east side of the town with a well versed knowledge of the neighborhood. 

But I would recommend cutting out the middle men.

I was looking at REI with my partner who has a great credit score - 750+, but looks like lenders would be looking at the lowest middle score which would be mine - 640.

Middle of city, shovel ready with electric/water/sewer/roads/entrances, etc.