I'm going to assume the obvious that it is tied to a home, land, commercial building, etc.?

Columbus is home to the HQ of Wendys, White Castle, L-Brands, and Huntington Bank.

The primary hurdle for investors is that most homes have appreciated significantly during the past 3- years and the difference in the current mortgage balance and purchase price is required as a cash down payment.

My first attempt at renting my SFH resulted in bad tenants damaging my home and I had to fire my property management company. 

Any advice on how I should approach looking/buying my first home?

After analyzing over 1,300 active single family homes in Reno, Nevada we found that the majority of homes cash flow around a 4% cap rate, with outliers in the 5s and even some at 6%.A cap rate is a measure of a property's investment potential, calculated by dividing the property's net operating income (NOI) by its purchase price.

Curious to hear folks' thoughts on the recommended approaches for markets where home values are on the higher end.

The exception would be if this was already permitted for STR - short term rentals VRBO then it might be worth it based on location.If you just want to buy a home and have a unit to help cover the mortgage I would still insist on lower price point or NO HOA to help get the total mortgage down so that the other unit covers 50% of the overall payment.  

Are you targeting single family homes or multi-unit properties. 

I’m in the process of buying my 3rd property, which will be my primary residence for my family and I, it will be our permanent home for a lil while.