We just always hear about people getting started buying their first property, and even on a lot of the webinars we watch they run the numbers, get a couple hundred dollar cash flow deals and call them good.

Hi Yu Jin,Dayton is a step up from Toledo but also comes with a step up in price.The numbers make sense in many Ohio cities.You make money when you buy and not when you sell.So look for off market (We do a lot of direct to seller), negotiate hard, buy with cash and buy quickly.Great deals don't last so you need to know the numbers very well in your target market.I've flipped hundreds of properties in Toledo since 2014 and am glad to say that I know the market like my back pocket.All I need is the address, scope of work and how much I can buy it for.Quick access to AREIS, the MLS to run comps and "ka ching".I know if it's a deal or not.Immerse yourself in the market and become a market expert on the numbers.Nothing comes easy mate and all good things take time.If you are looking to build a rental portfolio in Ohio you have to build a big one.Buying 1 or 2 properties and expecting a significant impact to your bottom line from a net-worth or cashflow standpoint isn't worth the risk IMO.In all sub $100,000 markets, it's important to build a large portfolio as there is a high likelihood that you will have repairs and vacancy on 1 or 2 properties at any given moment.Just my opinion and all the best.

It contains hundreds of files such as ebooks, checklists and spreadsheets for real estate investors: https://www.biggerpockets.com/filesGood luck.

It contains hundreds of files such as ebooks, checklists and spreadsheets for real estate investors: https://www.biggerpockets.com/filesGood luck. 

Unless you have done hundreds of deals, are a volume flipper/wholesaler, or like to just throw money away, why would you be offering on properties now without seeing them?

I might be a little biased because we started purchasing places around 2009/2010 and we were picking up screaming deals all over the place (3/4 of our portfolio is made up of homes we purchased for ten's of thousands of dollars that are now worth hundreds of thousands). 

A lot of these pro tenant non-profits just mail out hundreds of these to see if can get payouts.

So they are financially misaligned on long-term performance (and I think this is why there are so many people who have had bad turnkey experiences) And, as someone who has done lots of rehabs directly myself, I have seen hundreds of ways that turnkey operator could take shortcuts (to the detriment of the investor but beneficial to their bottom line) which investor could never detect (or not until years later when it's too late).

We have hundreds of clients using different branches of Wells Fargo.  

The house has doubled in value since I bought it and I would likely sell one condo for a few hundred thousand more than I bought the whole house for.