There are some effective homemade solutions for dealing with this problem.

Do you think it's okay to make "home made" bandit signs or should I buy them to look more professional?

I also didn't give presents to the checkout lady at the grocery, the mailman or the guy who throws my paper on my driveway.Now, my customers always got a nice HOMEMADE reminder from me.Frank

Now I think the answers as to why someone in NJ should invest in Cincinnati would go something like this: -people live there-big companies live there-urban neighborhoods are gentrifying-affordable living -diversity of neighborhoods--some good for flips, some good for consistent appreciation, and there are still plenty of C-D areas that show good returns on paper that people from NY and CA love to gobble up-major airport-major research university-we have Skyline Chili-Pete Rose is from here-Our Roebling Bridge is your Brooklyn Bridge's father-Goetta

We could meet at Chilies off of Olive near the freeway.

Having only 1 bathroom in the home made it sit on the market a little longer than we had anticipated and it was a huge lesson learned moving forward.

You're right, and yes, if this is important you'll learn...and yes, doubt your home made, barn jacked spreadsheets.

Building our own home made us realize the potential in using no money down - Auto Construction Loans for investments.

I use my own homemade software for all of my accounts receivables.A couple of examples - when Quicken "prints" a check, it does not transmit the check number. 

I get gifts now and then (home made cookies, a bottle of bourbon and one lady made us muffins every morning for showing up and we went above and beyond for her because of it) and they are appreciated much more than a tip and then they're not expected.