First, I'd try to find why the water is doing that as you can replace the siding, but if the water is going to keep doing it, you will have that problem again.If it is isn't a condo, I'd talk to your insurance company.

Find and join a local REI or land lord Association and attend meetings to get local perspectives on markets, LL/tenant laws and experiences etc.Hang out here and search threads that may be relevant to you and your desires/needs.Decide on your objectives from investing, taking into account your resources from financial and time perspectives.

Anyhow since I'm paying cash and don't need to get a mortgage on it should I still go through a proper title company to get it the title switched over to my LLC?  

It supports searches via zip code or Zillow URL.I am the creator and would love feedback on how it could be more helpful!

If you haven't done so already, look at Furnished Finder or search Airbnb for 30+ day stays to see how much competition there is in your area and what the competition's properties look like.

Then my advise will be to focus your search on a SFH with a basement that has a walkout entrance to keep it as separate as possible, in case you decide to rent it out.

We can help you out with offmarket aquisition and Property Management in Cincinnati , give me a call to see if we have answers to all the woes you had with your previous PM companies you used , or if you are new to investing in cincinnati we can start from basics and help you put as well 

Is it to our advantage to mention that we're just a regular couple, not a company?

If the new owner gets title insurance, the title company will usually discover the tax sale and redeem at closing.

Also are appraisals always required I know that some companies used BPOs.