This also provides central air in the Summer, which is a competitive advantage in a market like NJ. 

It's the 90/10 rule though (10% of agents get 90% of listings) so you really need to do it full time lots of competition.

pid=1697Houston Real Estate Highlights in January:-Single-family home sales jumped 14.3 percent year-over-year, with 4,699 units sold, marking the seventh consecutive month of positive sales;-Days on Market (DOM) for single-family homes extended slightly from 66 to 68 days;-Total property sales surged 15.2 percent, with 5,800 units sold;-Total dollar volume rose 17.1 percent to about $1.6 billion;-The single-family home median price increased 4.5 percent to $234,000, reaching a January high;-The single-family home average price climbed 4.6 percent to a January high of $291,034;-Single-family homes months of inventory was at a 3.5-months supply, down fractionally from 3.6 months last January but above the national inventory level of 3.0 months;-Townhome/condominium sales jumped for a second straight month – up 20.9 percent, with the average price down 3.5 percent to $186,582 and the median price down 5.2 percent to $149,750;-Lease properties experienced a strong performance, as single-family home rentals climbed 14.5 percent with the average rent up 1.7 percent to $1,782;-Volume of townhome/condominium leases rose 5.6 percent with the average rent up 5.9 percent to $1,598.

How's the competition? 

Given the fact that you're going to be in a competitive market and there's already a lot of offers on the table.

One could argue this is irrelevant to REI and speaks specifically to home buyers, but Columbus' lack of inventory and competition for housing says otherwise.

You can pay cash for your purchase to give you the competitive edge in purchasing and then roll your buys into either a portfolio loan or regular mortgage. 

If the buildings are in high demand the seller will likely ask for a nonrefundable earnest money deposit in competitive markets.Land is different.

I am in a very competitive market and a review that says the place is full of mold, unsafe, etc. will have people going elsewhere as opposed to my place which is priced higher than most others in the area (due to amenities).

There is not a lot of competition from other investors.