First Time Investor in Multi family apartments-Chicago

[Kevin Guo]

Hello All,

New to Biggerpockets and real estate investing. 

My game plan is to purchase 6-unit apartments and retaining 1-2 units for myself while renting out the rest. I plan on putting down 20%, if I can get the financing, and build up equity over the long term while having some cash flow on the side. 

My main question is to the veterans:

What makes the deal work and the math work out? When you guys are looking at the properties what aspects of the deal makes the investment great? What hidden traps should I look out for when making the decision to buy? How do you determine if the property will be a winner or a loser? Also, what kind of financing plans make the property work out?

Thanks all. I'm all ears. If there's some fault in my game plan feel free to shoot me down.