Finding a Columbus Ohio market

[Brendan Novisky]

I am a new investor and have been studying on Bigger Pockets and the basic mls sites for about 5 months. I live in Chillicothe, OH and would like to buy my first buy and hold withe next 6 months. I would like to get into small apartment buildings or 4-units but since I work full time and am just getting started, I have decided to start slow with a SFH or two to get the basics down).

I was wondering if anyone could share their criteria for choosing a specific market because I am starting to feel analysis paralysis kick in. I would like to avoid the c-d areas and have focused most of my search in galloway, grove city, hilliard, westerville, and worthington. I have found a high percentage of vacancy (20+%) in some of these areas as well as a low percentage of renters vs home owners. 

In essence, what are the most important factors when choosing a neighborhood and what is background noise? Thanks in advance for any input!

Brendan

[Brendan Novisky]

@Kathleen Bassett

Thanks for taking the time to post. I haven't looked extensively there because it adds a couple more hours to the travel time. I have started to consider looking there because I have seen several posts that James Wise has on properties. The idea of partnering with his company (or someone) on a deal to start out is starting to be more appealing since it would be easier to learn the process. The possible downside is that would be more of a turnkey experience and I am not convinced that is a way to grow efficiently.