When I told this "friend" what they did, he quickly backpeddled and distanced himself from him.

Other markets can appreciate more quickly and you can use real value-add strategies in larger units.

One guide on contracts is that if everything is to the advantage of one side, then the contract isn't valid, and may be overturned in court.

Make sure the list is part of the lease, and if there are problems, address them quickly.

I just did a quick search and I see they have automatic payment options. 

Buy "Every Landlord's Legal Guide" by NOLO and start reading.

It will help guide you with all of this. 

Brandon Turner has said it was just a quick way to evaluate and not real in this market.Try MTR (medium-term-rentals) or rent by the room (house hack with or without you in it). 

You could flip houses to pay off your personal residence quickly or just build up rental income to pay off your personal residence quickly. 

I look at about 1,000 properties a week and have clients all over the country including Ohio.If you could put your price range, down payment, expected cap rate, tenant type, location such as suburban or urban core, etc. then I could quickly tell you if what you are looking for is a 1 in 100 or a 1 in 5,000 property.