I am currently concentrating on owning rental properties with the possibility of fixing and flipping the right property.

Concentrate on purpose built rental properties, multi units are a good start point.Stay away from SFHs as they will be the hardest hit in a recession and the most difficult to find tenants.

Usually, I'll sell a note because I have an over concentration of a particular asset type or product type in my portfolio and a regulator or examiner has told me they recommend (or require) that I reduce that concentration in my portfolio.

Any suggestions as to what area in or around Chicago I should concentrate to find a mix of high ROI, low crime and medium property taxes? 

Either answer should give you an idea on where to concentrate on improving your business by shifting focus to where the most likely area to succeed remains.It's always tough when a long term relationship hits a bump, wish the best for how you proceed and let us know what you choose.Steve

Ask title or a real estate agent for cash sales reports and go market where the highest concentration isHope this helps

If it was a science then we would all have the ability to avoid bad things happening to our portfolio.Best bet: Develop your investing criteria, goals and objects and then concentrate on 1-2 markets.Wrote a helpful blog post on how to select a market: Choosing the Right US Real Estate Market To Invest In: The 4-Step Guide to Success

I get a call from the lender today (NFCU) telling me that underwriting cannot approve the deal because the HOA has an inadequate budget, high investor occupancy concentration, and high delinquency.

And then concentrate on learning everything and anything about this field, talk to other investors, read blogs, listen to podcast and start taking massive action, just like Grant Cardone said in his 10X Rule book!

We even found several sellers via small, concentrated direct mail campaigns that yielded 2 deals!