All Forum Posts by: Ryan Louz

Hi,

I'm an all cash investor currently based in Seattle, Washington looking to do out of state investing in Columbus Ohio.

My goal is buy & hold/cash flow, and specifically 3/2 or 2/1 single-family homes. 

I do know that some regions of the US are really popular on the BiggerPockets forum for rental investments, and Columbus seems to be one of them. (Especially over the last few years) 

Is there a catch though to the popularity I'm seeing in Columbus and investing in rentals there? 

Is Columbus Ohio in August 2024 still a good place to buy a single-family and rent it out for rental income for an out of state investor? Would I be too late to the race? 

Of course, this would be while working with a knowledgeable investor agent.

I'm just concerned that possibly due to Columbus' popularity on BiggerPockets and elsewhere, the market may have been saturated with investors, turn key providers. 

I just wanted to get the honest truth before I jump into it and start working with a realtor. 

Could it be as simple as finding a good Realtor, buying in a working class neighborhood, etc, and renting it out?

Or are there specific caveats and things I should know about the Columbus market? 

Thanks

California based investor looking to purchase single family properties all cash in Ohio and Kentucky. 

Looking to buy 2-3 properties.

I already own one property in California through a Revocable Trust and noticed it shows up on Google when I search my name. 

I know its difficult to stay fully anonymous but thats not my goal - Simply staying off of Google search results would be enough for me.

Now trying to strategize how to purchase future homes in Ohio and Kentucky and stay off of Google.

Heard there are a couple popular options:

Option # 1. Create 2 LLCs

- First create an LLC in an Anonymous LLC State like Wyoming 

- Then create an LLC in the state I'm buying in, like Ohio

- The Wyoming LLC would own the Ohio LLC 

- When purchasing properties, title deed would show the Ohio LLC name instead of me

Negatives:

California makes all tax residents register their LLCs with the State, even those formed in different states (and requires you submit the names of the owners) so this would defeat the purpose trying to stay off of public record.  

Option #2. Purchase properties using a Trust

I already have a Revocable Trust setup but it includes my full name in the title of the trust, so this would defeat the purpose of staying anonymous.

I could create a new trust with a random name, but I heard the "Trustees" section of the trust also get published to public records. 

So even if I create a trust with a random name, whoever is listed as a Trustee gets posted online. 

The only thing I can think of would be list to someone else in the Trustee section of the trust, but how would this work?

Negatives to the trust option (Option #2)?  

Any other alternatives?

I'm an out of state investor from California with $150k in cash looking to buy a single family in either Philadelphia PA or Columbus Ohio.

Which area would you recommend between these two?

I'm leaning towards Philadelphia because I personally find the area more interesting, and it seems like a more international city. 

My concern with Columbus is it reminds me a bit of Memphis TN a few years ago where it was flooded with investors and nearly all homes were out of state investor owned leading to a lot of competition to market rentals to tenants, and lower home appreciation as a result. 

However, I'm still open to choosing Columbus Ohio if it's a better investment than the Philadelphia area.

My priorities are:

- Landlord friendliness (I don't want to get stuck in a location where its hard to get uncooperative tenants out of a property)

- Friendlier Short Term Rental laws (AirBNB, etc) 

- Ideally lower property taxes (Not a huge concern if there isn't a big difference between the two)

- Better cash flow (If the different purchase price to cash flow is substantial, I'd want the better cash flowing area)

Which between these two regions would you recommend?

I'm currently an owner of a 1 bedroom condo in the SF Bay Area, California that has performed okay on AirBNB and on the private market.

I've got about $120k cash saved up (I know, not much, but thought it wouldn't hurt to ask)

I'm looking to buy a second condo in cash, and am an all cash investor for religious reasons and do not deal with loans, etc.

Are there any recommended regions in the US where I can get a Studio, 1 bedroom, or 2 bedroom condo for around $120k cash all in?

I've considered places like Florida (Orlando, Tampa), North Carolina (Raleigh, Charlotte), Ohio (Columbus, Cincinatti), Kentucky (Louisville).

Have also considered places in Central California like Fresno, Bakersfield, etc 

My goal is to just rent it out on the private market and make some extra cash flow. 

Would be nice to also have the ability to rent it out short term (AirBNB, etc) but this isn't totally necessary. 

Any locations that may fit my budget and provide a decent return?

I know it may be ideal to focus on Central California since I'm about a 2.5 hour drive from there, but the landlord friendly laws of other states entice me and I get concerned if I buy in California I'll end up getting a bad tenant without the ability to easily get them to leave.