I am starting with a small budget(100k-120k) so trying to understand which neighborhoods I should focus on, would love to get recommendations if you have :) I live south of the city and only like to go about 30 minutes away from home. 

I'm a newbie to real estate investing and am currently focused on intensely educating myself about all things real estate and how to get my first rental property deal.

I want to become really good at analyzing deals, and determine the markets I should focus on.Are there any resources aside from this forum (books, journals, news publications, podcasts) that you recommend I use to learn more?

Focus on LocationChicago’s rental market varies widely by neighborhood.

So far, it’s going really well, and I’m glad we made the shift.For me, the decision wasn’t about issues with self-managing but more about freeing up time and mental space to focus on the next steps in our investing journey.Curious to hear others’ experiences as well!

You have to make a deal rather than buy a deal, be more appreciation focused, and be more patient.

Because my clientele is so profit-focused, I get daily questions about current real estate market trends.

Investors should keep an eye on government spending in housing to understand how these changes might shape local markets.At the same time, Bessent’s focus on driving GDP growth could bring a surge of opportunities.

Focusing on A-B areas and taking a hands-on approach definitely helps with maximizing cash flow and equity.

-Signing lease agreements via portalI am working on  automating and hiring a VA to handle all advertising, applications, and lease agreements.Allowing my onsite managers to focus more on the day to dayI looked into Rentalutions but I'm cheap!!