He’s the biggest asset in my business and I assure you I’ll have changed the trajectory of his life when all is said and done. 

With fewer strings attached, you'll have boots on the ground and be able to learn geography, logistics, and neighborhood attributes, plug into the community, and meet a great agent.My ATL-specific advice is to consider how the following factors fit with your current and future personal/family situation and your investing strategy/goals: Costs and challenges of the cross-country move; how long you plan to own a property; self-managing vs. paying for property management; expected time in new job(s); income trajectory; commute time/traffic; school system quality; childcare (cost, availability, logistics of childcare); and expected work schedule, etc. 

In studies measuring self-reported happiness, you'd expect a wide distribution and scatter-shot graph of the priorities of individuals, spanning a multitude of life trajectories. 

Places like Indianapolis and Detroit where you can still pick up relatively inexpensive properties, they may cash flow but are not likely to appreciate with the same trajectory as the Atlanta properties from 2011.  

That’s not really the trajectory that I’m playing.

Phoenix is a great growth market, with many excellent fundamentals showing that it is poised for an excellent trajectory or continued positive growth.

Did they continue on the trajectory they were on at the time of their interview? 

If, on the other hand, you are someone like me, just getting started in real estate, finding someone with the skills/resources that you lack and partnering with them, can drastically change the trajectory of your investing.

You might want to consider medium sized multi family properties where you maximize your cash flow and minimize the number of properties you are dealing with.I am with Mike on this, those regions are great and look to continue their current trajectory.  

If you have a solid career trajectory that you love or can at least tolerate you will obviously dial down the risk.