If you've owned them for 5-6 years then you should have a good amount of equity to sell and relocate the funds elsewhere via a 1031 but it really depends on what your end goal is.

We currently live in NYC and are looking to relocate to the Cleveland area to begin our REI journey.

Trying to target bue-collar temp workers, relocating families and/or couples with pets, medical students and people who will need hospital care for 1+ months.  

Specifically looking to relocate to get started in Columbus, Ohio, so I'll be starting with a new team from scratch, so I would also appreciate some recommendations of companies/contractors to work withThanks for sharing!

@Jonathan Klemm as always, thanks for the mention@Yesenia Valdez as you can see, theres a lot of concern with the overall expense of adding a unit; which is commonly much hire than many investors realize when you factor in some of the key "High cost" items which are common to run into, expecially within the city, which may include: Digging down the basement, increasing the water service, upgrading the electrical service and replacing/adding electrical panels, relocating/rerouting hvac systems, etc.All of that being said, it is definitely still a decision to be made based on an individual property basis as there are many factors that could effect whether or not it would be worth it.One thing I would recommend to start would just be to verify whether or not this is going to be a feasible request based on the City's Zoning Ordinances!

Some PM won't show on the weekends, so when a good prospect is in town house hunting on the weekend for relocation, their loss is my gain.

One way to find these deals is to look through Zillow and search for retired landlords and/or families relocating, those situations usually have a higher chance of the seller being open to taking payments for their equity.

Mostly due to the never-ending corporate relocations to the area. 

When I started preparing one property for mid term furnished  ( more than 30 days ) with a calendar supporting it (= vacant ) I received a large number of inquiries thru vrbo and some thru airbnb, well more than through sublet.com Mostly from relocation agencies. 

East TN is one of the hottest relocation markets around b/c we're so business friendly, low RE taxes, no state income taxes, etc., etc.