While stocks and bonds are great options, 17M people in this country own at least one piece of real estate, often in addition to those other options. 

Ohio markets show up 3 times in Zillow’s 2024 hottest markets, with Columbus and Cincinnati taking the top 2 and 3 spots.

ThTs my biggest piece of advice.

My landlord was also making noises like he wanted to raise the rent; I had already started taking on all the repairs myself just to keep him from doing so, but I knew it wasn't a long-term solution.I lucked out and sold a piece of land with no utilities.

Bad tenants are much worse than vacant properties.I wrote a piece a while back with some other tips you might find helpful too: https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/2015-05-25-5-dominate-pro...

If I feel there is any "liar data" in there I throw out that piece. 

My biggest piece of advice is to learn from the experiences of others.

Instead of taking bits and pieces of everyone's information which will vary greatly by municipality, consult with a local contractor who specializes in basement conversions.

I just completed one at the end of last year in one of the hottest markets in the country. 

Thanks for the reply, the undue enrichment piece is an interesting one.