I have over $500k in equity with my primary residence and feel like I should be using it to get into real estate investing, but have no idea how to get started. 

Read the article about William Bronchick a real estate guru/ attorney who recently lost an alter ego case this year.     

Was it hard getting involved with real estate after your bid ?

Intel is a great example, who is building the largest chip manufacturing plant in the US right here, and it will be a $20 billion dollar investment that brings a few new thousand jobs.https://www.dispatch.com/story/business/2022/01/21/intel-ohio-building-computer-chip-factories-licking-county-jersey-township/9173472002/ Another example of economic growth is the upcoming Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Inpatient Hospital which is a 1.9million square foot hospital that will bring over 800 new beds and a thousand new jobs. https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/new-osu-hospital-expected-to-transform-health-careHere are a few more recent investments https://www.10tv.com/article/money/business/hydrogen-power-company-hyperion-bringing-700-jobs-to-columbus/530-25907aab-5517-4661-a9f3-d2ed2d5be6b0 https://news.wosu.org/news/2022-02-08/rumpke-to-build-50-million-recycling-facility-in-columbus Check out The Complete Guide to the Columbus, Ohio Real Estate Market which goes through the Columbus, Ohio market in depth and will give you a better scope of where the highest levels of growth are taking place and where to look to invest.  

I have connected with an RE-focused agent who is sending me properties to research, but I'm not sure if he is the right fit yet.

I'm new to real estate investing and following the advice in the BiggerPockets books.

I think you crossed 2 of the more common real estate tax benifits.Section 121: Primary Residence Capital Gains Tax Exclusion What it is: Excludes up to $250,000 ($500,000 if married) of capital gains when selling your primary home. 

My last post a while ago connected me with some great people who had some great advice and wanted to reach out again. 

I may be able to assist in the initial zoning analysis and steer you in the right direction with my NYC connections to get the site developed.

I'm particularly passionate about home flips and trying to acquire some rentalsOutside of real estate, I enjoy working out, construction, and spending time with familyExcited to learn and connect with you all!