Columbus On My Mind, Linden Love, from a Newbie:-)

[Shauna Hancock]

I was debating if I was going to put myself out here regarding my intentions for getting into real estate investing. I have been reading and learning alot, while observing the bigger pockets community and love all the wealth of knowledge and experience. 

Polaris, Worthington,  Dublin, Clintonville, Easton, and such in Columbus , Ohio seem to be the places of interest for most which is fine but not for me. My interest is in getting in on the revitalization of the Linden area. Weinland, Franklinton, and Mt Vernon have experienced some revitalization efforts so its seems Linden is next on the list.

I favor the couple who rented in a low income area on bigger pockets podcast, I think it was 86 but dont quote me .

 Linden is wide open for investing. I want to be fully invested in the area, so not just real estate but community development. I know its reputation but I know its potential as well.

Linden market is high in Section 8, Hud homes, vacant properties,  land bank homes, and land from demolished properties .
Most are under 20's, many homes are in the 20-30 range, a few in the 40's... even fewer over 50. So I know creative funding is a must.

I plan on registering my business name and getting my business plan finalized to move forward with this entrepenuership path. Hopefully I can link up with individuals interested in the Linden Area or really who just have connections that i surely need. Like investors, contractors, handymen, etc... Thanks for stopping by, look forward to connections made. Blessings

[Jean Bolger]

Hi @Shauna Hancock!

I live in Denver but have an investment in Columbus. It's over on the east side on Cleveland Ave near Cooke. I'm not a local but I would say the area is definitely lower working class, but not as rough as some parts of Linden. 

Plenty of people do very well with rentals in tougher areas, it just takes the right combo of business skills and people skills.  On the other hand, you see a lot of people struggling and have to be able to deal with the pain of that. You can't change the world (or the neighborhood) overnight of course, but a good landlord can definitely have a positive impact on neighborhoods (and lives). You might talk to @Al Williamson, who has posted some inspiring things on BP in the past about that very idea. 

I can get you contact info for the property management company I use if you would like. They  might be interesting for you to talk to, since they do a lot of C and D class properties, including some in Linden I think,  and could give you their perspective.