3.Any recommendations for contractors or permit expediters in Covington who can assist with this process?

When investing in high cash-flow markets, I always recommend working with an investor friendly agent so you're able to gain the right insight on the different areas and the risks involved.

I would recommend you begin researching Chicago based meetups as there are a bunch of really good ones.

Here's a list of things to track:- Formal lease application- Formal signed and executed lease specific to your state- Payment history (I recommend using online rent collection like Apartments.com, RentRedi, etc)- Maintenance requests and receipts- Accounting for all rental-related expenses (repairs, utilities, etc) The more you treat it like a business, the more helpful you are to your CPA come tax time. 

Any referrals or recommendations for good and qualified brokers, sellers, property management companies, loan brokers, insurance brokers, mortgage brokers, contractors, etc.

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

But I highly recommend reading "Who Not How".

I have some great PM recommendations if you need!

For newbies, I recommend starting with a turnkey cash flow rental.

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?