There are some really astute people here who are involved with rental properties. Surveyor is one and FSD also knows his stuff. You need to make a decision of what your goal is, are you looking for cash flow or appreciation? People who do this professionally spend a good deal of time studying demographics of cities for emerging markets. There are areas in the southeast that are fairly robust, however again, doing the homework can be time consuming. You need to look for emerging growth in jobs and certain demographic trends. Try sending a private message to Surveyor or FSD and see if they give you some pointers on cities.
Again, a very very basic exercise you can do is to have a spreadsheet that helps you at least analyze the numbers. It is trivial to do that. If you post your email I can send you one.
Like I said, my advice would be to sit tight if possible, at least here in SD.
