I've been amazed though at how many delays I've run into with contractors in that area. 

That's amazing - would love to connect down the road when we get to that level (hopefully sooner than later) and talk about how you were able to do those partnerships - those are some big names.

@Arjun S.You married one tough woman.

That sounds pretty amazing.

You will still find positive cash flow and the 1% rule here and you get amazing appreciation!

It's my woman, 9 month and me in the house so there's no option to house hack right now.I had the perfect opportunity to have a solid start in real estate but at the time I wasn't thinking this would be something I want to get into.

This is an amazing place to dive into real estate investing.

RE investing is varied and you'll find some things that are of no interest to you and others that are amazingly appealing.

I would say go with the market that you're most familiar with and have experience.Louisville and Lexington are amazing cities to participate in rental market.

Quote from @Michael Elkins: Looking for good options to get a pre approval done in Colulmbus, OhioHi Michael, as an investor based in Columbus Ohio myself, I have some amazing lenders I've worked with and would love to connect with you!