Some personal takes on research about the Columbus, OH market

[Rachel Feng]

I am doing a lot of research on the Columbus, OH market recently and has gone through lots of old posts about this market. The thing that I like about Columbus the most is it is a growing city with a good university. However, I also have a few observations that I do not quite appreciate. I would love to hear from other investors on their takes as well. 

1. It seems to be quite crowded by investors in general, because the price point still looks very enticing for a lot of out-of-state investors (I'm from the Boston area.). Most of the two-family I looked at in those up-and-coming areas are just not well taken care of. A lot of properties are flipped for a quick profit, rather than for its long term values. It is hard to find a good quality turnkey rental. (For example, I wanted to avoid carpets, but most flipped places are with carpets.)

2. In my local market, it is rare to come across off-market deals these days. However, in a seemingly hot market like Columbus, there is not lack of off-market deals. My question is if locals would not snap up those properties, should out of state investors be cautious about those "deals"? 

3. It seems the investment thesis changes quickly at the street level. I wonder whether flying there and walking down neighborhoods myself before I decided to put in an offer is recommended.