(This is about taxes)You need a Zoning Permit for Visitor Accommodation:To rent your home for stays of 30 days or fewer.If the property is not your primary residence.Housing requirementsSmoke alarms must be installed:In each bedroom.In the hallway in the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms.On each floor of the home, including basements.Carbon monoxide alarms must be installed:Within 15 ft. of the entrance to every bedroom or within 15 ft. of a bed in sleeping areas if there isn’t an enclosed bedroom.Centrally on a wall or the ceiling, but not directly in front of a door to a bathroom or within 5 ft. of a cooking appliance.Under the installation requirements for smoke alarms if they are combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.You can’t post signs for lodging on your home.The home can’t be occupied by more than three people (including the owner and renters) who aren’t related by blood, marriage, life partnership, adoption, or foster-child status.You cannot change your house so that it no longer resembles a private residence.Information you must provide your rentersRenters are only allowed to have guests between the hours of 8 a.m. and midnight.You must tell renters the trash and recycling collection days and any trash disposal rules and regulations.

It is more important that you have a fully stocked kitchen with a cookie sheet and a crock pot than a cool painting.

There are a lot of hands in the pot and the management company is very very important.

Seems like the better deals might be in areas that don't have a spotlight on them for people like me with no properties to leverage and a small startup capital pot.

Even a lot of tenants don't seem to be aware that in Cook County housing providers cannot turn down an applicant due to them being on section 8.

Befriend a short order cook and let him tell you about his average day.

Hey @Jason Cook. 

@Daniel TisdaleAt this point you could move into the garage apartment and add a June Oven and a plug-in induction cook top.

All this to say, I want to shout out (sorry for those I am not connected with, the tag doesn't allow me):@John Underwood  @michael baum @luke carl @julie mccoy@paul sandhu (for horror stories and comedy)From which thermostat/locks/water heaters, pots/pans, processes, marketing, all of it... you guys (and gals) have been so helpful.

Anyone can cook but that doesn’t make them a gourmet chief (or even a fry cook) and unless they have put thousands of hours into of effective relevant work and have a good sense of taste and understand what others want then they will not be able to maximize the results.