I have been renting rooms in my home as mid-term rentals and have experience in that area. 

Have you tried considering both and seeing which one gives you a better experience?

Although no two people have the same experience while starting out, here’s a structured approach to help you get started:1.

In most cases, new retail leases come with some amount of concessions from the Landlord which primarily consist of a Free Rent Period to allow the new Tenant to build out their space and a Tenant Improvement Allowance which is a pre-negotiated amount of money that the Landlord contributes to the Tenant to assist with the cost of the build out of the space. a Free rent period can be anywhere form 1 month to 1 year (or more) and a Tenant Improvement Allowance could be $5.00 per square foot or $50.00 per square foot (and in some cases a LOT more).

It helps you find reliable property management partnerships and gives you everything you need to make confident hiring decisions:Expert Matching: Match with professionals who meet your criteriaExtra Assurance: Licenses, experience, ratings, reviews, and more that can be cross-checked with BiggerPockets membersBonus Content: Receive an essential interactive workbook: “How to Interview Property Management Companies

A property manager can handle tenant interactions, maintenance issues, and local legalities, providing peace of mind and freeing up your time.

On the flip side, do you think the stability/predictability of the Dayton market could be a positive thing for someone like me to gain some experience and then branch out to a more competitive market like Columbus?

Borrower experience?

I have absolutely no experience. 

Feel free to send me a message if you're looking for more detailed info.