Awesome to see a new investor-minded person here.. do you have a favorite real estate success story already?

It will be even harder as a young person with no life experience, and particularly no experience buying real estate. 

I have read all of the "trends" and statistics but now I am Looking for feedback on personal experience in the Akron market.I appreciate it! 

It is also worth noting that property management is often closer to 30% of gross rent for a short-term rental due to the much more intensive hands-on management compared to a typical 10% for long-term and as such, I agree with recommendations above that medium term rentals may provide the best of both worlds if you are able to tailor proximity to a local need, e.g. hospitals and travel nurses.Again, happy to relay my personal experiences in the area if you're interested.Best of luck,Patrick

.• I purchased a small 1B/1Ba condominium in a high rise building in 2004 for personal use.• In 2010, I moved out and decided to put in in service as a rental unit.• I was able to keep it well occupied and leased throughout 2024.• I sold the condo unit in late 2024 for a nominal profit.That brings us to today. 

The challenge was balancing the relationship between landlord/tenant and a personal/friendly relationship.

Appreciation is only a THEORY until a person SELLS, be it gain or loss. 

but i also 2nd @Jay Hurst's sentiments - get a 2nd or even 3rd opinion on DTI/ full doc. i personally love files that are puzzles, i get some weird satisfaction out of figuring out how to make it work on full-doc, especially when my client has been told "no" before. if it doesn't work now, a good loan professional will help you create a path forward.

There are any number of Real Estate schools available to you, so choose the one that compliments your learning style, whether that be online or in person or a hybrid. 

Some of the heavy hitters here in Chicago discussed the ADU program with a very nice person from the building department.