I think it was a double whammy when the fed rate was boosted from nothing to 5-5.25 and the fed was also selling a bunch of the bonds they had bought before to drive mortgage rates down. 

Premium increases are rippling through the market; the state is also always going to be financially strapped/high tax due to union pension commitments from past generations and the high tax, high services nature of Chicago.I'd highly recommend getting on a plane and driving around before you buy anything there. 

The interactions were mainly me sending places I wanted to go look at, and making offers with very little guidance from them, ultimately only to lose out on the bid.All in all, I've learned that being this early in my investing journey, I need an agent who is not only familiar with investing (or is an investor) but will reciprocate the same dedication and drive. 

A few tactics that come to mind are: - creating a single listing page (landing page) that captures contact info - paid social ads that drive to the single listing page What's the perfect use case for a single listing page?

Fix that and re-test with a hose...

They bought 72 houses in six months at the age of 23 and now drive their Lamborghini to their castle where they party with P-Diddy and drink champagne all day.

I've had success with letters, driving for dollars, and off market deals.

Once you have a shortlist, sign up for an account with each one and test them extensively to see how they function.

Dallas-Fort Worth is a smart choice, man the growth there is off the charts, and there’s plenty of room for first-timers with the drive to go all-in.I remember helping a buddy of mine who was in a similar boat to you, he was switching from a totally different career and diving into real estate.

MTR is our play there.Vegas can definitely be a tight market for flipping, with competition driving up prices and squeezing margins.