You basically have high growth and low cash flow Columbus OR decent growth and solid cash flow of Cleveland, Dayton, and Cincinnati. 

I think this is a calculation a lot of homeowners are making right now--especially if they have a low interest mortgage, equity, and their house will cashflow as a rental.The choice is a personal one of course, but I think your future self will thank you if you pull out some equity from your existing home with a HELOC for the downpayment on the next house and a cushion renting your current home, use a property manager as you have other things to do, and buy the next house and do the same thing again.

Last August a decent pre-foreclosure opportunity came available on the MLS and my agent took us to see the home and submitted two offers below asking that were too low for the seller at the time.Apparently the seller was able to avoid foreclosure and the home delisted after it didn’t sale.

Coffered ceilings, low corner additions etc.Anyone can slap lipstick on a pig, looking for high value add in high demand markets is where the $ is.

In my experience in MO, land bank properties are very low priced (these are generally properties/parcels that weren't sold at the tax auction), but they often have significant tax liens on them that must be cleared in addition to the "sale price" AND they require a significant amount of rehab in order for the properties to be inhabitable. 

When they do HML on OO, they want very low risk.  

There is no stock account that gives the leverage real estate does, at as low interest rate real estate does, at as low risk/ volatility real estate does. 

You can still achieve it, but finding deals that actually pencil out on all criteria (low enough purchase price, low enough renovation cost, cash flows on the backend, all cash out at refinance) is pretty hard.

Don't let the idea of a low interest rate trap you from upgrading to size/scale.

Inventory seems low, and I am trying to househack my first unit.