To date, I have spoken with various professionals in the Chicagoland space and gathered valuable information about the work culture of the city. 

There is a facebook group for Irish investors that is getting some regular traffic: https://www.facebook.com/groups/propertyinvestorsireland/about/ it's private, but I don't think it's hard to get in once you request it.Also, look at meetup.com, there are some events sometimes:https://www.meetup.com/EntreprenuersUnite/events/271631089/https://www.meetup.com/Dublin-Real-Estate-Investing-Meetup-Group/I hope that helps!

And there is definitely a cultural clash, from one part of the U.S., to another, which Colin Woodard delineates, in his book, entitled, American Nations: The 11 Regional Rivals.

@Matthew Irish-Jones okay so the minute I sign a buyers agreement I'm locked in with that agent forever?

I bought a duplex last Oct. on Cultural Park Blvd on a canal.

Because the highest ROI is about 1000 miles away from me where I own a number of properties that make a ton of moneyI tend to buy in the Southern half of the US for 3 reasons:1) you get much higher year-round occupancy rates in the South & it’s simply tough to earn a good ROI in the North if your place sits vacant for a big chunk of the year2) Culturally, the Southern half of the US seems to be a lot more accepting of STRs regulation-wise.

Weather, politics, schools, crime, location of family and friends, employment opportunities, social and environmental aspects, diversity, cultural, arts and entertainment, cost of living, taxes, population density; are just some of the reasons. 

It also effects us in less tangible ways too of course, like not being in an office for 4 months and counting - what that does to a company culture, team building, etc. is tough to say right now but we try to stay in touch in some ways now more than ever with zoom, slack, and the like.Last thing I'll say on the improvement front, if I could look back and change anything about those 3 things it would be how i look at them in relation to our overall business model.

Like every other aspect of our society, our culture sells lifestyles and lifepaths to people regardless of class, when income disparity is great than ever.

The cultural / political venues are strikingly different for sure.I've lived farther southeast of Jacksonville @ the Atlantic Ocean in  PonteVedra Beach and it all seemed like south Georgia to me.