There's a lot of suckers who attend these sales, particularly for the lower priced properties and that's precisely who you don't want to be bidding against.

I'm a retired engineer and have been successfully using income from these houses to support my retirement without dipping into retirement savings.I'm transitioning my business from rentals to a franchise and would consider selling one of my houses (5 br/4 ba - the other houses my son while he's still attending).

If you’re looking to invest in your backyard, it helps to network with as many locals in the industry as you can.

I call them in-between because they are conferences, so not like your local meetups, but they are not truly "industry" conferences like NMHC, where you will meet primarily career, corporate multi-family people.Bigger Pockets Conference and Best Ever Conference are two that likely would cater to people more in your position.  

Attend the local and regional Real Estate meetups.

Population is growing, NFL Draft was the BEST EVER attended, prices are up over 20% last year, etc.

@Jake Thorpe  I did NOT say that I bought all those, only that I saw those properties offered for sale at Tax Sales that I attended.

Staying local and house hacking—especially now, before kids—gives you so much flexibility to set yourselves up for long-term success.Your financial foundation is super strong, and house hacking a quad sounds like an amazing first step for you two.

I have attended local meetups so that I can have a handful of experienced folks who have resources to share.  

I would recommend finding some local meetups to attend, and also tuning into the Straight Up Chicago Investor's Podcast.