I’m really trying to get some advice on what are the hottest markets in SC for multi family, 800-1200 / mo.

We seem to be on the right trend for growth, but of course all real estate is local.

My tameframe is roughly 6-12 months from beginning of a job search to move I'm assuming.Any thoughts on where I should focus my efforts in terms of tracking prices, building market knowledge, and learning about market trends?

Tenant had an ongoing trend of late payments, etc., which I let slide for the first few months.  

I do think the trend is that they're all credit unions.Yes, the rate is a bit higher.

So this is one of the hottest topics of the season in the investing world and I want peoples take on it.

The Ultimate Guide to Grading Cleveland Neighborhoods should help you cover a lot of ground in regards to what exactly your looking at when you are checking out listings on Zillow or other websites.As for some more data to chew on in regards to population trends i've found City-Data.com to have a pretty decent chunk of info.Good luck to you & feel free to tag me if you have any follow up questions on this market or investing in general.

OTE is one of the hottest areas in Columbus to purchase investment property at the moment.  

Is this a new trend?

That doesn't exactly keep me abreast of all "local politics" but you start to hear things and sense trends like areas where there is crime.