One strategy that’s worked for a lot of people, including out-of-state investors I know in Columbus, Ohio, is buying your first home to get comfortable with real estate and build equity, then using that equity to step into cash-flowing rental investments in strong markets like Columbus where you can find deals hitting the 1% rule and positive cash flow in the $120–180K range, plus the macro story is solid with population growth, job growth, and big companies moving in, so long-term appreciation potential is real.

So kudos to you for looking through that lens.Buy low and sell high, and sell high and buy low periods don't come around very often at a macro level.

It’s still one of the few markets where you can buy single families or small multis in the $120–180K range that cash flow immediately, plus the macro fundamentals are strong—population growth, job growth, and major companies like Intel, Amazon, Google, Facebook, Honda, Microsoft, and LG moving in, which drives long-term appreciation.

-Macro Fear.

The macro picture is strong too—population growth is fast, job growth is booming, and major companies like Intel, Amazon, Google, Facebook, Honda, Microsoft, and LG are expanding here, which keeps rental demand high and drives appreciation.

Is that street very noisy? 

And there's a macro backdrop of a mining boom and federal investment in to critical minerals and mining.This seems like a slam dunk to me.

Out-of-state markets can be really productive for long-term buy-and-hold, and Columbus, Ohio is a great example—properties in the $120–180K range can hit the 1% rule after some value-adds, cash flow from day one, and the macro fundamentals like population and job growth are strong, with big employers like Intel, Amazon, Facebook, and Honda expanding, which also helps with appreciation.

But the long-term macro forces (10-year treasury, structural inflation, federal borrowing, global demand for U.S. debt) haven’t vanished.

Anything under 60% is conservative, and above 75–80% starts getting riskier unless you have strong cash flow and reserves.LTV is a useful macro indicator of your overall leverage, but make sure you’re also watching DSCR, total portfolio cash flow, and liquidity.