Cincinnati 2-4 Units - Hyde Park, Oakley, Mt. Lookout

[Chris Grabosky]

I currently live in and manage a "House Hack", 4 unit apartment building in Covington, KY (across the Ohio River from Cincinnati). Cash flow is amazing, tenants are great, housing costs are very affordable with very solid properties <$150,000. Planning on expanding on this all in another Discussion, however, the following is a time sensitive issue:

I am currently looking to buy a place with my fiance. My fiance is verrrry picky with location which is a great thing because I tend to be a bit too open about location. We are looking to buy and live in a 2-4 unit as a "House Hack" but she INSISTS that we buy in Oakley, Hyde Park, Mt Lookout, or closely surrounding neighborhoods. These areas are extremely tough to find <$300,000 2-4 units that produce enough rental income to where it makes sense to buy. Especially in comparison with my current place in Covington.

I guess I am not really sure exactly what I am looking for from this post: Any advice?  Should I expand into looking for >4 units? Should I try and convince her to expand her mind outside these limits?  Just want to chat about best multi-family spots to invest in Tri-State area? All replies welcome! Thanks!

[Thomas Barrick]

Hey Chris,

I would agree with Joe. I house-hack a duplex in Norwood that I bought in June of 2016. Prior to that, I was set on Mt Lookout, Oakley, Hyde Park. Like most younger buyers, I was priced out and I found that it was very difficult to cash flow.

That said, Norwood has some nice parts and some rough parts, very block by block. If you have any questions, let me know!

Good luck!

Tom