Going out to Columbus. Recommendations?

[James Kojo]

I’m flying out to Columbus for some property tours next week. I’m interested in hearing about which neighborhoods folks are currently investing in and in which asset classes. Also, are there any must-visit bars or restaurants in the area that I should check out while I’m there? I’m in my 40’s so I’ll be avoiding the student dives. :) Thanks! James

[James Kojo]

Now that I have visited Columbus, my scientific conclusion is that Columbus is all kinds of awesome.

I was only there a couple of days, but it was a fairly easy town to get to know.

On the tourist side, I did a walking tour of downtown which eventually took me to the Short North, which was a real blast. I ended up meeting a lot of really great people in my journeys, and some of them were actually REI's, so that was a lot of fun.

On the investor side, I toured a few properties (duplexes all the way up to  a 24 unit) with Robin and David Panzera, who own Panzera Realty (combined sales and PM introduced via @Sarah Wheeler. ) I was in contract with a 4-plex in Westerville, which is why I flew out there in the first place. That deal looks like it's going to close soon, and I have a few more "irons in the fire". All indications are that they are a great shop, and I really like working with Robin on the acquisitions side.

I also met with @Robert Ellis and team while I was there. They gave me a bunch of new ideas to think about, so if you're in town, I would definitely recommend looking them up. They definitely have and investor focus and mindset, and they present all of their deals through an investor lens. 

That all said, Columbus is not quite a "hidden gem." Talking to vendors and providers, they are getting constant pings from OOS investors like myself. Commercial brokers are far from being desperate for your business. You still need to be putting your best foot forward, and soliciting referrals and generally have your act together when you're working with them. There is a lot of C inventory, but B inventory trades at a premium and moves very fast.

It's also not easy to differentiate between the C neighborhoods and the B neighborhoods just by driving around. You'll want to have some local knowledge on the ground if you're investing.

Hope that helps!

James