Build - rent - refinance -repeat. in columbus ohio you are buying old houses that are 1900 or 1920 or 1940 and you are in a sellers market. on the other hand you can source land which is a buyers market and build single family homes or duplex or triplexes that will return by renting and pulling cash out on a DSCR loan and doing it again. there aren't a lot of strategies that do this. flipping is different. so many risks. but when someone has a well oiled machine it's all good and less risk.

I also pressure washed the exterior of the units and raised rents to market rent.

It is probably worth your time to connect with BOTH @John Warren and myself since we are both managing brokers, but John is more focused on property management and I am more focused on general contracting, but we are both Chicago investors as well.Oak Park and Lawndale are definitely two different markets.

Return:Finishing the basement and adding bedrooms can add significant value, especially if your local market places a premium on additional living space.

A lot to take in with the Cincinnati market.

The TX market is a GREAT market to start in.

Must be market by market or builder by builder.

I would recommend starting in your backyard and hone your skills if its possible, I know some markets have an extreme HCOL which may make it unfavorable in your case.

He was a realtor based in the Midwest (I think the greater Chicago area) and was talking about off vs. on market deals and the importance of choosing equity over cash flow. 

My recommendation would be to choose potential markets - in several price points - that have strong rental demand and year-over-year rent increases and that also are in markets that are appreciating.