I am anxious to do all that I can because this home would be great for us to live in long-term, with the ability to rent out the basement.

From everything I have learned thus far, I'd say that the Atlanta market is stable with strong potential to maintain growth. 

We also do a deep dive on the area looking at population and job growth, net migration, and employment diversification.

You just have to have the ability to act quickly.

Hi BiggerPockets community,

I’m Frank, a part time real estate investor. I have been buying apartments and condos since 2008 and I have been fortunate to accrue 5 units (3 town houses and 2 homes) since then. I have ...

However in the midwest I believe price growth has outstripped rent growth so I would rather exit at close to the market high because all the gains could be wiped out in a hurry if investor sentiment turns.

Getting a special and start off with low down payment is not as good as you think but if the  the location is important as a consideration, the demand for what you buy property and tenant screening, it's in  growth area, is it located within a diverse area, the parking that is available, do you have deep enough pocket if funds are needed, Do nearby amenities exist, is there any nearby retail stores and what are they and does it fit your ideal tenant, and are there any existing tenants. 

He could make a better living doing and have a better quality of life working in another state but insists on staying so he can be discovered and it's stifling his ability to get ahead in life.

KC has very strong economic and demographic fundamentals such as job growth, population growth, diverse industries etc. that continue to make it a strong market in my opinion. 

The way I look at it is there are some big advantages to being a contractor, the biggest of which for my area would be the ability to pull permits on anything you don't owner occupy (my understanding is TN is a lot less strict on things than MN).