Charlotte, Columbia SC, Augusta, and Chattanooga are all short drives with good solid jobs and population growth. 

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.

Population, rent, income growth have been strong as well.

You will need to get a local, rockstar Realtor, contractor, lender, and property manager. https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/core-four-real-estate-team As for picking a specific market, I would choose one that has job and population growth with a high median income, and Columbus, Ohio is a great choice.

This market is really starting to take off and the population is growing quickly.  

I personally look for areas like that which are growing in population.

Very landlord friendly, low vacancy, lot's of population & job growth, good rent to price ratios, 20% avg appreciation rates on 2021 and projecting 20% again 2022.

I look at population growth, job growth, local economic development, local government action, median income trends, crime rates etc. 

As the renter population continues to grow at a faster rate than previous years, the demand for large multifamily properties will continue to rise.