Investing n Illinois

[Efren Corona]

Hey BP community, Ive recently started getting into learning about RE investing and thanks for BP I've been finding great info. As I'm starting out, the one thing I've been doing these past few weeks is been "driving around for dollars" in the NW suburbs area of Illinois and doing research online. One thing I can say is that the more I drive, the more "For Sale" signs I see and Ive realized that there are more homes for sale than I imagined.  Ive managed to come across a couple of great deals out there but now I really don't know where to take the next step as far as getting financing, hard money, or private lender. Any advice? 

Thanks, BP community