Those are the questions that really matter and from a practical standpoint I rarely come across anyone who makes suggestions who can back up their suggested course of action with "how" and/or "why" showing how little practicality there is to most of what you absorb.  

As a local landlord, my practice was to personally change out the HVAC filters every month, so the HVAC units had a longer life-span, but it also gave me a chance to do an inspection of my property every month.

I’m just starting to save but know it’s important to learn best practices, understand the pitfalls and maybe even grow through sweat equity.Have a Happy New Year and look forward to connecting!

Relocation and up classing tenants infill the remaining 20% of tenancy demo.

Once you have:A leaseProven rentA refinance timelinethen tools like portfolio loans, DSCR, local banks, or even private money start to make sense in a practical way.The Midwest markets you mentioned are solid learning markets.Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton, Pittsburgh all have workable price-to-rent ratios — the difference maker is less “which city” and more:Submarket selectionRehab disciplineTeam quality (agent + PM + contractor)One thing I’ll add for awareness: I’m a real estate agent based in Memphis, TN, and I help a lot of out-of-state investors execute exactly this kind of long-term, cosmetic BRRR strategy.

It feels like midterm rentals (30–90+ days) are getting a lot more attention lately with traveling nurses, insurance stays, remote workers, corporate relocations, etc.From what I’ve seen managing properties, MTRs sit in an interesting middle ground:Less volatility and wear and tear than short term rentalsHigher returns than traditional long-term leases (in many markets)Fewer regulatory headaches than STRsBut also… less talked about, less standardized, and sometimes misunderstoodSome questions I keep coming back to:• Are midterm rentals a deliberate strategy, or just a fallback when STR regulations tighten?

The macroeconomics here are on fire with strong population growth, job growth, and massive companies expanding or relocating here like Intel, Amazon, Google, Facebook, Honda, Microsoft, LG, Nationwide, and more.

I also appreciate the point that an LLC alone isn’t sufficient and that the real risk mitigation comes from diligence during acquisition, strong operational practices, proper documentation, insurance, and risk-shifting strategies.

I’m trying to better understand what’s technically legal vs what’s commonly done in practice, especially for long-term buy-and-hold investing.Would love to hear how others navigate this — especially from anyone with experience in college towns or high-density rental markets.Thanks in advance!

In practice, outcomes diverge based on how well renovations, turns, and ongoing maintenance are handled, especially if you’re remote.Older housing stock changes the math.A lot of Columbus inventory is 1950s–80s.