Also make sure that you have a really good handyman....due to the number of kids the house takes a beating.  

it sounds like you might be at break even. 

Since the S&P 500 averages around 10% annually I personally don't see a point in investing in a rental that's not going to at least beat that.

I wish I could have started buying in 2012 but unfortunately I was a broke college kid and did not know about real estate investing.Personally I still think Columbus is going to continue to explode - "Columbus’ population grew 1.1% in the second half of last year, which is faster than any other city in the U.S." 

We've all seen the potential benefits: faster construction, potentially lower costs, and the ability to design unique living spaces.

Can’t beat it for $129.

With existing properties, you can start earning rental income faster and build equity through sweat equity by making improvements yourself.

Wish my pace was faster but I'm a slave to the paycheck, haven't quite broken that chain in my head completely yet. 

How much in legal fees do you want to pay to chase a dead beat?  

I have found that setting up searches with a realtor has a 24 hour delay in my area which can be the difference in landing the deal and getting beat out by a competitor.