We refunded his 200 dollar pet deposit (Illinois has put ESAs on par with working animals, so we had to refund it), although he says we did not (we do have proof of this).   

The inherited tenant (from the seller&Roofstock) along with the illegal human and animal occupants got evicted, trashed the property, left a whole ecosystem of vermins behind.

If they are selling for under $250k I might just eat it.

Quote from @V.G Jason: Organize taxes and eat better.  

If you just need recommendations for where to go, things to do, places to eat I'm more than happy to share tips. ...While you're here Please visit downtown and of course, the beaches...Downtown is small and flourishing area with many places to go and eat that are highly walkable. 

Even the bigger people on here couldn't swing that or would have to Syndicate out which is another animal. 

A guy named Ken on my job would eat lunch with me and tell me everything he knew.

Because it sounds to me like you want to have your cake and eat it too.

A couple months of vacancy, a soft rental economy, or a major expense could eat up your equity.

I'm not very familiar with these markets but I've found Columbus has great tenant quality on average, less property crime, and great appreciation potential.Any market can offer killer cash flow with those lower purchase prices, but in my experience, you're more likely to run into challenging tenant situations and higher maintenance costs that eat into those returns.