Columbus is a bit more pricey, but each city has its pros and cons. 

When I was 19 I was washing dishes out of high school in Columbus and then decided to buy a single-family rental.

I'm looking to understand how the Columbus market may stack up for opportunity in BRRRR's.

I have a few friends who is very pro Ohio (Akron and Columbus specifically), but i ventured elsewhere.

In Columbus Ohio, there's so many great opportunities here for buy and holds, BRRRRs, flips, and STR/MTRs.

And also get independent property management quotes.As a realtor/investor myself here in Columbus OH (which has some great cashflow opportunities, by the way), I ALWAYS encourage my clients to visit properties.

Prices in Columbus are still low enough to find 1% rule deals and there's a ton of appreciation happening in this market as well.

The networking and local market insights are invaluable.For retirement planning, focus on building steady cash flow and consider setting aside a healthy maintenance fund (I usually recommend 6 months of expenses) to protect against any surprises.If you're looking to expand your portfolio, Columbus is a great market where we still see positive cash flowing deals with lots of appreciation potential.

Not sure the columbus folks will like to hear this, but it is what it is. 

For example, here in Columbus we've got Intel building their mega-fab which is already driving up property values and rents in certain submarkets.