I really see Columbus Ohio as an extremely safe bet for the next 10-20 years.

That sounds extreme unless you are the GP of multiple large syndications or own tons of doors. 

Many Chicago landlords do not collect a deposit as the penalties against them are extreme. 

Any advice is extremely helpful!

Pretty simple platform, but doesn't have much customization.You could also look into Appfolio, Rentvine, Doorloop and several others, but they cost more and are more complex to implement.We use Propertyware, which is extremely customizable, which is why we selected it, but comes with a long learning curve. 

But this is the bread and butter of what I do in Detroit.Pay cash, do the renovations, then refi out.As you mentioned, you need to be confident in your comps so you can put an accurate ARV on the project before you pull the trigger. 

I decided to pull the trigger after a few years of listening to this podcast and reading up on posts in this forum.

Verifying last 2 years of rental history and income extremely important to find the “best of the worst”.

It's extremely robust.

I have done it several times now and have also tried long-term rentals vs. short-term rentals as I've house hacked.My response to your question may differ from others, but my advice would be to pull the trigger on the condo if:1.