In general, for a B or B- class neighborhood.. of course there are exceptions here. 

In the long run, Roth-style retirement accounts beat the Traditional retirement accounts.

Similar neighborhoods/suburbs to Clay/cicero would be in the east side of Syracuse, like DeWitt, Fayetteville, and Manlius.

I have had luck with doing direct mail marketing for some of my past clients that wanted a certain area or neighborhood, you'd be surprised at how many sellers don't want to deal with showings and everything else that goes into listing a home. 

@Joel Lebovits the neighborhoods closer to the downtown area of Canton are more run down, with more vacant/distressed houses.The farther you drive away from downtown the nicer the houses get, in general.

Like if the neighborhood already has too many MFH, then they stop allowing it?

Buy solid properties in decent neighborhoods and screen your tenants well. 

The lifestyle question is one that you must determine, then narrow down what parts of Chicago provide you with that lifestyle, then we can really answer the question- How is the market doing in those specific neighborhoods?

Focus on undervalued neighborhoods with potential for appreciation and partner with an investor-friendly realtor who knows the area.

Many are looking to retire or shift out of active management, especially as interest rates rise.From what I’ve read in Bloomberg, Austin's market in 2025 remains highly competitive but still has opportunities in older neighborhoods and suburban areas.