Out of State Investing for a Low Capital Investor

[Zach Beaton]

Team, I appreciate any time y'all will give me.

Let me explain my scenario - Myself and a Business Partner are 30 years old, we have a single 4-plex and a condo currently under our belts in Portland Oregon. For obvious reasons, we are looking to expand our investments beyond Portland Oregon (renters laws, high initial down payments, brutal landlord tenant laws, low cash flow) to a market with a lower get in cost, as well as a market that cashflows. I've been dumping hours into finding the right market to invest in considering we dont have piles of cash and have narrowed it down but am curious on the communities opinion. Ultimately, I'm looking for any tips and tricks for out of state investing or recommendations on a market. Game plan is to buy duplex's (or similar) and have a local property manager run the day to day. I would also be interested in whether or not forming an LLC (or equivalent) is a good idea vs owning the properties personally/ what the pros/ cons are of this approach.

Sorry for the broad stroke of a question - any help/ time is appreciated! Enjoy the long holiday weekend!

[Jimmy Lieu]

Quote from @Zach Beaton:

Team, I appreciate any time y'all will give me.

Let me explain my scenario - Myself and a Business Partner are 30 years old, we have a single 4-plex and a condo currently under our belts in Portland Oregon. For obvious reasons, we are looking to expand our investments beyond Portland Oregon (renters laws, high initial down payments, brutal landlord tenant laws, low cash flow) to a market with a lower get in cost, as well as a market that cashflows. I've been dumping hours into finding the right market to invest in considering we dont have piles of cash and have narrowed it down but am curious on the communities opinion. Ultimately, I'm looking for any tips and tricks for out of state investing or recommendations on a market. Game plan is to buy duplex's (or similar) and have a local property manager run the day to day. I would also be interested in whether or not forming an LLC (or equivalent) is a good idea vs owning the properties personally/ what the pros/ cons are of this approach.

Sorry for the broad stroke of a question - any help/ time is appreciated! Enjoy the long holiday weekend!

Hey Zach! I'm from Portland Oregon and moved out to Columbus Ohio myself to start investing in real estate (best decision ever!). If you're starting with limited capital and looking to invest out of state, I’d recommend checking out Columbus, Ohio. It's one of the few markets where you can still find deals in the $120K–$180K range that actually meet the 1% rule, meaning they cash flow from day one. The market fundamentals here are super strong—population is growing fast, job growth is booming, and tons of big-name companies are moving in or expanding like Intel, Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Honda, and more. Columbus is still very affordable compared to other metros, and Ohio is very landlord-friendly, so you won’t get stuck in a year-long eviction nightmare. One of my clients just picked up a single family home for $120K and is now renting it for $1,550/month. Between the positive cash flow, appreciation potential, and overall stability of the market, Columbus is definitely worth considering if you're investing with a smaller budget. Happy to connect and answer any questions you have!