Getting to a spot where you can afford more house is best done by buying a starter house/house hack today.

But I think what you said is huge, be in a similar spot now in terms of paying a mortgage or rent and get nothing out of it.

You could do that, but some Realtors don't like dual representation, it can put them in a bad spot, so in those instances, you might have you own agent. 

Plan on operating one of the few vacant spots as a restaurant. ( I have experience in the area).

hit it on the spot. 

@Sabrina Savillo - You have a good problem, a problem that will put you in a good spot with either choice.

Ohio markets show up 3 times in Zillow’s 2024 hottest markets, with Columbus and Cincinnati taking the top 2 and 3 spots.

It doesn't take long to learn how to spot a good deal.6.

Its a crapshoot with Zestimate....I have seen it be "spot-on" and I have also seen it be way, way off. 

And the further you distance yourself from a deal, the more difficult they become.With that said, truly investor friendly agents are really rare you're likely going to have to do more work on your own by visiting the spots with any agent if you need representation and talk to several companies for quotes on what things cost to fix in that locality.