Hello - looking to better understand real estate and invest in a renal

Hello - looking to better understand real estate and invest in a renal

Member since 2026 · 1 post · 4 votes

Hey folks 

First time investor and I'm looking to invest in a long term rental with a net positive cash flow. 
Mostly looking at options in Indiana and Ohio . 
looking to connect with similar people who have purchased recently or planning to do so. 

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Remington LymanBusiness Member
Real Estate Agent · Columbus, OH · Member since 2017 · 6k+ posts · 7k+ votes
1mo
Quote from @Gokul Narayan:

Hey folks 

First time investor and I'm looking to invest in a long term rental with a net positive cash flow. 
Mostly looking at options in Indiana and Ohio . 
looking to connect with similar people who have purchased recently or planning to do so. 

Nice to meet you! I work in Ohio

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  • Remington LymanBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent · Columbus, OH · Member since 2017 · 6k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    1mo
    Quote from @Gokul Narayan:

    Hey folks 

    First time investor and I'm looking to invest in a long term rental with a net positive cash flow. 
    Mostly looking at options in Indiana and Ohio . 
    looking to connect with similar people who have purchased recently or planning to do so. 

    Nice to meet you! I work in Ohio

  • Alfath AhmedBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent · Columbus, OH · Member since 2022 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    1mo

    Nice to meet you @Gokul Narayan

    I've got 30+ rental units in Columbus market and do a ton of business here. Happy to share the resources and connections with contractors and neighborhood maps that I used to buy properties.

  • Ashish AcharyaBusiness Member
    CPA, CFP®, PFS · FL · Member since 2017 · 5k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    1mo

    Gokul, for a first long-term rental, I’d focus on finding a property that still produces positive cash flow after all the boring expenses are included, not just after the mortgage.

    If you're looking in Indiana and Ohio while living in California, I'd underwrite management, vacancy, repairs, CapEx, property taxes, insurance, leasing costs, and reserves from day one. With an out-of-state rental, a good property manager is really part of the deal, not an optional expense.

    I’d also build a narrow buy box before comparing too many markets. Decide your target purchase price, minimum monthly cash flow, reserve requirement, property age/condition, and how much rehab you’re willing to take on. For a first remote property, simpler is usually better.

    From the tax side, owning property in another state can also create additional state filing requirements. Once the property is placed in service, depreciation begins, and I’d evaluate whether cost segregation makes sense based on the property and whether the resulting losses would actually be useful in your situation.

    I’d rather see your first property produce modest but dependable cash flow with strong reserves than chase a higher projected return that depends on perfect operations.

    Feel free to DM me. I’d be happy to send over a few resources that might help you analyze your first rental.

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  • Brad SeidBusiness Member
    Lender · Licensed in 28 States · Member since 2026 · 182 posts · 58 votes
    1mo

    @Gokul Narayan Hey! Indiana and Ohio can be great markets for cash-flowing rentals. If you’re still looking at financing options, I’d be happy to connect and see if I can help you find a lending solution that fits your investment goals. Feel free to reach out!

  • Marc RiceBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent · Columbus Cleveland Dayton, OH · Member since 2018 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    1mo

    Hey Gokul, I have been investing in OH since 2018. Happy to connect!

    Marc Rice | Investor Friendly Agent at Reafco Tailwind Team574 Reviews
  • Arman AhmedPro Member
    Real Estate Agent · Columbus Cleveland Dayton, OH · Member since 2024 · 2k+ posts · 958 votes
    1mo
    Quote from @Gokul Narayan:

    Hey folks 

    First time investor and I'm looking to invest in a long term rental with a net positive cash flow. 
    Mostly looking at options in Indiana and Ohio . 
    looking to connect with similar people who have purchased recently or planning to do so. 

    Ohio is definitely worth a look for a first long-term rental, especially if cash flow is the priority. I’d focus heavily on the neighborhood and run the numbers with realistic taxes, insurance, vacancy, repairs, and management, rather than relying only on the advertised rent. Since you’re already looking at Ohio and Indiana, you’re in the right part of the country to compare some solid Midwest opportunities.

  • Drew SygitBusiness Member
    Property Manager · Royal Oak, MI · Member since 2012 · 12k+ posts · 9k+ votes
    1mo

    Connect with @Remington Lyman !

    A common issue, so Copy & Paste info below:

    You’re ALWAYS better off investing locally, where it’s easier to:

    ·         Learn the market

    ·         Network to find deals

    ·         Network to find contractors

    ·         Be more hands-on

    ·         Driveby property to keep tabs on it

    ·         Network to find a decent Property Management Company (PMC)

    Next best location is somewhere else you lived, where you have an existing network of family & friends to help you as accomplish the above list as needed.

    If you invest OOS, your biggest challenge won't be finding properties to meet your goals on paper, it’ll be successfully building a knowledgeable & trustworthy local team.

    The biggest mistake we see OOS investors making in our market, over and over again, is not fully understanding Neighborhood/Property/Tenant Classes and how they impact your probability of success!

    They all run their ROI numbers assuming Class A results – when buying Class B, C & even D rentals.

    Then they’re shocked when their performance expectations aren't met😞

    If you choose to invest OOS, and have little to no landlord experience, we highly recommend targeting Class B Neighborhoods/Properties/Tenants. If you target Class C, you better be prepared emotionally & financially for plenty of challenges.

    You can find Class B properties in the Midwest to BRRRR, but it will take more digging and YOU will need to understand how to analyze & identify them - because a lot of agents, wholesalers, PMCs, etc. will try to sell you Class C or D misrepresented as Class B:

    ·         Many of them don't know/care what Class the properties are, so they're incompetent.

    ·         Others know exactly what they are doing, so should be labeled as crooks!
    EITHER WAY YOU LOSE!

    Why is Property Class so important for investors to understand and apply in their investing strategies?

    Because the Property Class dictates the Class of the tenant pool that the property will attract.

    The Tenant Class greatly impacts rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.

    Both Property Class and Tenant Class will affect what type of contractors, handymen and property management companies you should target and be willing to deal with a property.

    The Property Class will also impact the maintenance & renovations you do to, “Maintain to the Neighborhood/Market”.

    Why is that important?

    Well, if you buy & renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what Tenant Class will actually rent it?

    Or, if you put several Class D tenants in a Class A four-plex, what do you think will happen to the property?

    What do you think will happen if you rehab a Class D rental to Class A standards?

    So, if you fail to apply the correct assumptions to a property, your expectations won’t be met, and it may even be a financial disaster.

    We use the following to rank Property Classes, in order of importance:

    • Property Tenant Pool: closely linked to location, but not always.

    • Property Location: closely linked to tenant pool, but not always.

    • Property Condition & Amenities: it’s important to, “Maintain to the Neighborhood/Market.”

    Key metrics for each Property Class:

    Class A Properties:
    Tenant Pool: Majority of FICO scores 680+, no convictions/evictions in last 7 years.
    Tenant Default: 0-5% probability of eviction or early lease termination.
    Section 8: Class A rents are too high and won’t be approved.
    Vacancies: 5-10%, depending on market conditions.
    Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, 3-5 years for positive cashflow, but you get highest relative rent & value appreciation.

    Class B Properties:
    Tenant Pool: Majority of FICO scores 620-680, some blemishes, no convictions/evictions in last 5 years.
    Tenant Default
    : 5-10% probability of eviction or early lease termination.
    Vacancies
    : 10-15%, depending on market conditions.
    Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, 1-3 years for positive cashflow, balanced amounts of relative rent & value appreciation.
    Section 8: Class B rents are usually too high for the Section 8 program.

    Class C Properties:
    Tenant Pool: Majority of FICO scores 560-620, many blemishes, but should have no convictions/evictions in last 3 years. Verifying recent 2-years of rental history very important! Same for 2-years of job/income stability.
    Tenant Default: 10-20% probability of eviction or early lease termination.
    Section 8: Class C rents usually meet program requirements, proper screening still recommended.
    Vacancies: 10-20%, depending on market conditions and tenant screening.
    Cashflow vs Appreciation: Should cashflow immediately, at the lower end of relative rent & value appreciation.

    Class D Properties:
    Tenant Pool: Majority of FICO scores under 560, little to no good tradelines, lots of collections & chargeoffs, but should have no convictions/evictions in last 12 months. Verifying last 2-years of rental history and income/employment extremely important to find the “best of the worst”.
    Tenant Default: 20-30% probability of eviction or early lease termination.
    Section 8: Class D rents meet program requirements, often challenges to pass Section 8 inspection.
    Vacancies: 20%+, depending on market conditions and tenant screening.
    Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, all cashflow with little, maybe even negative, relative rent & value appreciation.

    Where did we get our FICO credit score information from?

    Check out this chart:

    FICO Score

    Pct of Population

    Default Probability

    800 or more

    13.00%

    1.00%

    750-799

    27.00%

    1.00%

    700-749

    18.00%

    4.40%

    650-699

    15.00%

    8.90%

    600-649

    12.00%

    15.80%

    550-599

    8.00%

    22.50%

    500-549

    5.00%

    28.40%

    Less than 499

    2.00%

    41.00%

    Make sure you understand the Class of properties you are looking at and the corresponding results to expect.

    For example, Metro Detroit has 132 cities and the City of Detroit 183 Neighborhoods, which we’re analyzing and classifying to make better investing decisions.

    Horror Stories from those that did NOT Understand What they were Buying:

  • Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 31k+ posts · 20k+ votes
    1mo

    Holla

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