How much will you spend in repairs on a 1920's house with renters ? 

However, I’ve witnessed cases where the investor went “all in”, spending and losing many millions.  

If they are struggling then money they spend in one area affects their ability to pay other bills like rent.

But there a billion people out there that would disagree with me.4.  

Columbus is known for its appreciation market, driven by major developments like the $20 billion Intel plant, Google's three data centers, and Amazon & Meta acquiring hundreds of acres of land.

Be prepared to spend a lot of money creating the infrastructure.  

@Wells H. you can spend DAYS driving through Detroit!

While it will likely give you more confidence and answer a lot of questions, I would say that talking to a seasoned investor, or even agent that works with investors, is a way better idea than spending 8K on something that you don't know too much about, especially before your first deal is done.

My immediate goal is to acquire our first property and spend the next two years mastering the basics of real estate investment. ( Refining the Go and No property search criteria/ Learning the value of taxes and avoiding them as much as possible/ 1031 exchanges) Depending on my wife’s career orders, we may remain in Baltimore for 1-2 years, but I’m also exploring opportunities in West Texas, Sierra Vista, AZ, and Houston, TX.

Every time I change cleaners, I spend at least 3-5 hours retraining on my processes and expectations and even then things are missed.