Looks like a great long term play @Eric Prine!

Easy to get is subjective.. easy for a player who has been in the game, hard otherwise.

Shoot me a massage I can run you though the top players and what to watch out for.

You have your large players, which can have both advantages and disadvantages.

I've read many books and listened to many podcasts on real estate investing and am now ready to become a player. 

Most of the major commercial players (CBRE, Costar) lump the two cities into the same metro area and CBRE is reporting that it's a 7-cap market for larger multifamily.

To get a feel for how the nationwide players structure the deals, check our www.cadre.com or similar sites that are crowd sourcing them.

One thing I'd recommend, if you haven't already done it, is to setup a keyword alert for "Chicago" and just try to get familiar with who the active players are.

I am expecting some huge promotions to get people in casinos while we are there. 

Just substitute the Properties for the stage players, the Money and Strategies for the Notes, and the Plan for the overall Score, and you have REI...and it will become a new music to your ears.