I am looking at areas within Columbus to buy my second property since I want to buy in areas which I am relatively familiar.

Or, with a lawyer (who is a relative and would do it for free). 

My properties are in a lower income area and people have to have a place to live. 2 times the rent is often fine assuming they don't have a brand new car with a relative giant payment. 

Just because gold has had a (relatively) long history of staying power, mostly through European/Middle Eastern society, doesn't mean that it is inherently any more or less valuable than a flimsy piece of rag with pictures printed on it.

But to use it for qualifying income, they require those people to be related.

I've heard stories of landlords keeping deposits to cover real and actual expenses related to damages and/or a tenant breaking a lease and a judge not agreeing with that use of the deposit and awarding damages to the tenant.

Do you anticipate traveling maybe once per year to the location of the property to actually see it or resolve any issue related to it?

It depends on how busy they are and what you're asking for them to do.On a related note, contractors are usually charging to give estimates now due to how busy they are.

My plan is to offer sellers concessions and /or closing costs slightly higher than the option fee to avoid any appearance of those two things being related. 

Unfortunately he developed health problems a few years later and we were able to buy for a fair price.