Share what you are looking for and the deals you are working on with your network in person and on social media regularly.2.

Highly suggest coming out to some of the local chicago IN-PERSON meetups! 

For funding, explore options like FHA loans, personal savings, or creative financing, and focus on New Jersey markets that align with your goals, such as Newark for rentals or commuter towns for house hacking.

Personally, I advocate for a long-term investment strategy and would recommend investing the funds, provided you are comfortable with the expected return on investment over time.

Questions they will have is who is the owner, what experience do they have, is their key person insurance against them etc. 

Our short-term residential investment property loans are typically 60-80% LTV and all are personally guaranteed by the borrower(s) -- we pull credit, background and PFS on each guarantor, verify experience, verify liquidity, underwrite the property, neighborhood and zip code.

Do you sell / buy real estate in Mexico personally? 

This is basically a math problem that will depend on both you personal finances & also how much of this is an investment vs you want a nice house to live in4.

.✅ More Control – You’ll personally handle tenant screening, rent collection, and property upkeep, ensuring everything is done to your standards.✅ Stronger Tenant Relationships – Being involved directly allows you to build rapport with your tenants, which can lead to better communication and longer leases.Cons of Self-Managing❌ Time-Consuming – Dealing with maintenance requests, late-night emergencies, and tenant disputes can quickly become a second job.❌ Legal Risks – Chicago has strict landlord-tenant laws.

Which is very complex and costly and likely warrants professional help.Now, if it's just you and your spouse, then your 2024 tax preparation is likely relatively straightforward:- you will create a Schedule C on your personal tax return- you will NOT report any costs of purchasing the property or its rehab, not in 2024- you will report your business overhead expenses such as marketing, driving, technology etc- you will end up with a business schedule showing zero income and some expenses - not breaking the rules but potentially raising an audit flagCan you do it yourself?