No one would ever be caught saying they don't think transitional living houses can be a great resource...as long as that house is across town.

Also Samuel, My younger brother lives near Columbus, so its definitely a market I want to explore, so I'm very glad you reached out and could one day be using you out there

My wife and I are exploring purchasing a rental in Lisbon, Portugal.  

San Antonio definitely has some pockets of town where appreciate for single family homes is particularly great. 

Any recommendations on key cities / towns within Ohio / Indiana that I should continue to research to further narrow my focus?

This is making it incredibly challenging to compete with.As you poke into Brewery town, point breeze and going further into those neighborhoods you will start to see the class of RE change quite drastically. 

For example, a large employer may leave a small town eroding their tax base.

I’ve actually co-owned w my mom for most of the last decade but am exploring options w friends and am just wondering how many others are out there that have either done it or thought about. 

I'm interested in exploring real estate investing and I'm considered attending meetups to learn and connect with people.

what town and state are they in?