She will get you set up with a consultation.They specialize in High-Level Tax Strategy, using real estate as the primary vehicle. 

My sacrifice… no haircuts and no fast food. 1 job full time, 1 full time side hustle. 0 debt at the time other than student loans.

@Jennie Berger gave you the whole kit & caboodle on Chicago zoning so I don't have a ton to ad, however, I'd highly encourage you to engage an architect like @Samuel Pavlovcik or @Prashanth Mahakali, both are awesome local Chicago resources.

We were initially looking out of state for a potential move and or investment property just because the property taxes without being able to homestead, plus high cost of insurance, and harsh weather on homes made me feel like it might not be worth it.

Petersburg area, resulting in highly–profitable investments.If you need professional and courteous property management experts for your multifamily, single family, condominiums or town home, you've found the right company!

Seems like a high-risk, low reward situation though.

My recommendation would be different if you were a high-income earner or if you wanted steady equity growth.

There's a lot more competition than previous years, and prices are high.

I usually do not work with New Western; I have found the PP is too high and the ARV's are always inflated.

I am assuming here, but if it's been on the market so long, it's priced too high for it's condition.