As long as that is the case, it will go up in value over time as the population growth is generally faster than the new and newly restored building rate. 

Both are located in and or near a densely populated are with hospitals and call centers..Pros and cons of owning a condo as a rental property and go!

The places that I have narrowed down my searches to all typically have small populations of around 8,000-12,000 people.

With that calculator populated, you will see your cash flow, if any.A "safe," as you called it, property is not an investment where you have negative cash flow and bet on appreciation!

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.