Who would have thought when I bought the duplex where i was living in Victorian Village in 1985 that i would later become one of the largest single family Investors in Central Ohio?   I was working at Deloitte & Touche and wanted to stop renting.  i learned ALOT and generally the hard way.  I had to evict the tenants from the other side after listening to their hardship stories for over a year (and not getting alot of rent).  i had to rehab the unit - i was in Phoenix when i learned the painters had painted the trim we had pain-stakingly stripped with the same paint as the walls!!!   But then it was finally done and i got a couple of my friends to rent that side - along with an Ohio State grad assistant coach named Urban Meyer (now the Head Coach at Florida).  Wish i still had that duplex - i had to sell it for money for an engagement ring, a wedding, a downpayment and furniture.  I bought it for $36K in 1985, sold it for $56K in 1986 and it just sold for $204K a couple years ago (without substantial improvements).

http://www.forbes.com/2007/10/01/property-stable-homes-forbeslife-cx_mw_1001realestate_slide_4.html?thisSpeed=30000

From the Columbus Chamber:

1.  Columbus ranked #3 Top “Cities of the Future” on international investment. (fDi Magazine, April, 2007)
2.  Ohio ranks No. 1 in the nation for number of attractive micropolitans for capital investment. (Site Selection Magazine, March, 2007)
3. A top 50 hottest city for expansion and relocation (Expansion Management Magazine, Feb. 2007)
4. Ohio ranked #1 state in the Midwest for strong business climate and #3 in the nation among the states more attractive for investment capital (Site Selection magazine, December 2006)
5.  Ohio ranked seventh-highest number of women-owned businesses in the country (Center for Women’s Business Research and American Express, December 2006)
6.  Seventh strongest economy in the nation (POLICOM, August 2006)
7.  Eleventh best city for singles (Forbes, August 2006)
8.  Eighth best city to live (Money magazine, August 2006)
9. Ohio ranks 3^rd in employment in agricultural feedstock and chemicals. (Battelle Memorial study, May 2006)
10. Fourth Cleanest City (Reader’s Digest, July 2005)
11. A Top 10 High-Tech City (Popular Science Magazine, March 2005)
12. One of the Best Locations for Distribution Centers (Global Logistics and Supply Chain Strategies, April 2005)
13. Top 10 Shortest Commute Time Among Major Cities in the Country (U.S. Census Bureau, February 2004)
14. Sixth Least Expensive Big City in the Country to do Business (KPMG, February 2004)