Investing in Indiana

[Nghi Le]

I've been looking at some deals in Chicago and East Chicago (Indiana), but I'm from Washington.  Have any WA locals invested there, and if so, are there any laws, processes, or just things that I should look out for that are different from how things are here?  Some questions I had in mind:

1. How bad are the income, property, and transfer taxes?  I heard Chicago's pretty bad (but just need to find good enough deals).
2. Is it better to do closings with an attorney or title/escrow company?
3. Is it a landlord-friendly area?
4. Is the market appreciating?
5. Is the population growing?

I've been looking at city-data and crimereports too, but just wanted to hear experiences from some locals here and locals there.