Welcome to the community and be ready for a huge amount of information at your finger tips.

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

For those who manage your properties out of state, what door locks would you recommend?

I recommend you start with duplexes as you should always have a paying tenant.

I'd recommend working with a good strong property manager that lives in that area that can check on them.

Do you recommend switching at around 30 properties or so? 

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

My sister doesn’t recommend buying warranties anymore.

If you have any tips, resources, or advice for someone just starting out, I’d greatly appreciate your insights.Some specific things I’m working on right now:Building a strong buyers list.Identifying motivated sellers and honing my outreach.Learning the ins and outs of structuring win-win deals.I’m open to partnering, collaborating, or just grabbing coffee to exchange ideas.

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