Not many of you reading this have heard of Middletown, Ohio. As the name states, it's a town in the middle of Cincinnati, Ohio and Dayton, Ohio; two more commonly known real estate investment markets in Ohio. Although it's not a common household destination, it is one of the best cash flowing markets for real estate, buy and hold investors. Let's explore the top five reasons.
Location. The location simply cannot be beat. It is about 30 minutes from downtown Dayton and 40 minutes from downtown Cincinnati. Beyond that, many larger businesses and headquarters are located in the southern suburbs of Dayton (Miamisburg, Springboro, Centerville) and the northern suburbs of Cincinnati (Mason, West Chester, Springdale, Sharonville). Many residents have one spouse or housemate working in the Cincinnati area while the other may work north in the Dayton area. Middletown is a perfect middle ground.
Industry. Although some may choose to communte outside Middletown, there are many industries keeping its residents inside the city limits. AK Steel has headquarters there. Two major medical companies, Premier Health and Kettering Health Network, both have multiple operations within the city. Cincinnati State and Miami University have remote campuses in Middletown. In addition, just a few minutes away in Monroe, Ohio, a new Amazon fulfillment center has opened in addition to a Bed Bath and Beyond center and Kroger has opened a large operation there.
Occupancy. Middletown has a 48/52 renter to home owner ratio. What does this mean? Forty-eight percent of Middletown's population rents! That's a high demand on-par with Cincinnati, Ohio. There is demand. In addition, Middletown, Ohio doesn't have a large amount of multi-family, large apartment complexes like Dayton and Cincinnati. Therefore, many renters turn to single-family homes as well as duplexes and smaller multi-unit properties.
Purchase Price. Average purchase price for a 3 bedroom home in Middletown was $139,900 as of January 2021. The average price for the same home in Cincinnati was $197,000 as of January 2021. Your money can go quite a bit further in Middletown with similar or better returns in some cases.
Growth. Middletown's size doesn't compare to the Dayton or Cincinnati metro area. However, growth in Middletown is very evident. The entire downtown area has seen many changes. Once closed up shops are now reopening with boutiques and family-owned restaurants and businesses. Breweries are popping up attracting a younger crowd to the city. Not only is the city growing in terms of attraction, but property sales prices in the 45044 zip code have increased 13% over the past 12 months with a predicted 7.4% in the next 12 months according to Zillow. Finally, Cincinnati and Dayton continue to grow together as one. Cincinnati's suburbs, including new construction, are expanding north as Dayton grows south. Right in the middle? Middletown. An abundance of attention from investors and new construction builders is all around the Middletown area.
Though you many not have heard of Middletown, Ohio before, nearly any wise investor in the southwest Ohio market has their eyes on this city. It is abundant with potential for saavy investors with its large cash flow margins and return on investment.