First time Investor - OHIO

[Jonnathan Agudelo]

Looking for some advice. First, I want to say that I didn’t know this community existed, super helpful and I cannot wait to continue learning from everyone. I have been pursuing my masters in real estate for the last two years but I feel that I will learn more if I just jump in and buy my first investment. Recently, I moved to the Columbus, OH area. I am looking into duplexes or single family homes (2 or 3 bedrooms with 1 bath) in the Dublin, Hilliard, and Franklinton areas. Not sure which route I should take: fix and flip or buy and hold; I guess it all depends on the property. I took my first step a couple of weeks ago and reached out to an agent. Things are going great and I am looking into several properties right now. However, I am running into an issue that I just learned from the lender. Since the property won’t be my primary residence I won’t be able to put 5% down and instead I have to put down 15%. I heard a lot of people coming up with creative ways of making deals work but I am stuck because I don’t have that kind of capital to put down right away.

Are there any other loans out there that require little or no money down? Also, are there any questions that I should be asking the lender from a person in my position? Is there any lenders people suggest to work with in the Columbus, OH area?