Three years. Dozens of properties. Hundreds of decisions. Here's a sample of what we've actually done — for our own portfolio and for the owners who trust us.
A sample of properties we've acquired, renovated, and held — applying the same operational standards we bring to every property we manage.
Returns shown reflect actual outcomes on specific properties at the time of completion. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Real estate investments involve risk, including the potential loss of principal. Numbers are for illustrative purposes and are not an offer or recommendation to invest.
Duplex (Buy, Renovate, Hold)
West Side, Cincinnati
| Purchase Price | $115,000 |
|---|---|
| Renovation | $40,000 |
| ARV | $220,000 |
| Monthly Rent | $2,600 |
| Net ROI | 10% |
Acquired below-market through our off-market network. Renovated to investor-grade standards by our in-house team. Stabilized and rented within 30 days of completion.
Duplex (Buy, Renovate, Hold)
Cincinnati
| Purchase Price | $45,000 |
|---|---|
| Renovation | $120,000 |
| ARV | $280,000 |
| Monthly Rent | $2,550 |
| Net ROI | 9.3% |
A heavier renovation that unlocked significant value. Both units leased above pro-forma rent within 6 weeks of completion.
Single Family (Buy, Renovate, Hold)
Westwood
| Purchase Price | $57,000 |
|---|---|
| Renovation | $68,000 |
| ARV | $175,000–$185,000 |
| Monthly Rent | $1,550 |
| Net ROI | 8.2% |
Standard single-family hold strategy. Quick turnaround on renovation, leased to a long-term tenant within 3 weeks of going live.
4-Unit Multi-Family (Buy, Renovate, Hold)
Cincinnati
| Purchase Price | $86,000 |
|---|---|
| Renovation | $117,000 |
| ARV | $350,000–$400,000 |
| Monthly Rent | $4,800 |
Multi-family acquisition with significant value-add upside. Full renovation across all four units, with staggered leasing to maintain cash flow during stabilization.
Some of our most rewarding work happens when investors transfer their portfolio to us from another manager. Here's what tends to happen when properties move from passive management to active operation.
Past performance does not guarantee future results. Each property and market is unique, and outcomes depend on a range of factors including property condition, market conditions, and tenant quality.
An owner came to us with a single-family rental in West Side that had sat vacant for over four months. Their previous manager had listed it, but showings were rare, no applications had come in, and there was no plan for the deferred maintenance the property needed before it could compete in the market. The owner was bleeding rent every month and getting no answers.
We took over within two weeks. Within the first week, our in-house construction team identified and addressed the deferred maintenance — punch list completed in 9 days. Professional photos were taken the day work finished. The listing went live with full market positioning the same evening.
The property had a qualified application within 5 days, a signed lease within 11 days, and a tenant moved in within 21 days of our taking over. Rent achieved was higher than the previous manager's last asking price.
An owner with a four-unit building approached us frustrated. Two of the four units had been vacant for over six months under their existing manager. The manager kept saying "the market is slow" and "we're getting interest." Meanwhile, the owner was carrying the building at half-occupancy — and the lost rent was eating into capital reserves.
Our first move was an honest assessment of the units themselves. The previous manager had been showing them in their existing condition — but the condition was the problem, not the market. We recommended a focused interior refresh on both vacant units (paint, flooring touch-ups, kitchen and bathroom updates) at a cost that would pay back in less than four months of recovered rent.
Both vacant units were under lease within 30 days of work completion. The building has been at full occupancy ever since. The owner's net cash flow improved dramatically — and they later transferred two additional properties to our management.
An owner with a small portfolio of single-family rentals had been with their previous manager for several years. Rents had barely moved during that period — even as the local market saw meaningful increases. The manager had been "renewing tenants without raising rents to maintain stability." The owner felt the rationale was reasonable until they saw what comparable properties in the same neighborhoods were renting for.
We performed a full market analysis on each property in the portfolio and identified that several units were renting $150-$300 below market. Our recommendation: time the rent increases to lease renewal dates, communicate transparently with tenants, and prepare the units for re-leasing if some chose to leave.
Of the four units repositioned, three tenants accepted increases and renewed. One unit turned over and re-leased at full market rent within 18 days. The owner's annual gross rent increased by over $9,000 — recurring, year over year. That's the kind of money sitting on the table when management gets passive.
The case studies above aren't isolated stories. They reflect three patterns we encounter repeatedly when we onboard new properties.
Properties don't sit empty for months because the market is slow. They sit empty because nobody is actively working to fill them — or because the property itself isn't ready to compete. We've yet to encounter a Cincinnati property that couldn't be leased within 30 days when the right work was done and the right effort was applied.
Every year a property is rented below market, that gap grows — and recovering it gets harder. Tenants who stay long-term at below-market rates become structurally hard to reposition. A manager's job is to know what the market pays and to hold properties to that standard, year after year.
A small repair today becomes a tenant complaint tomorrow, a maintenance emergency next month, and a vacancy after that. We address things while they're small — not because it's heroic, but because it's the cheapest path.
Whether you're considering acquiring an investment property in Cincinnati, or you have an existing portfolio you'd like managed differently — let's have a conversation.