I've found that there are markets that have a balance of decent cashflow and decent appreciation and that's the type of market I eventually decided to invest in.I'm not too familiar with the different markets down there but I'd highly recommend looking into Candor Realty. 

I’d recommend listening to the straight up Chicago investor podcast for local information, going to the variety of meetups that are in this great city, and meeting a lot of the people posting here. 

They are not.I recommend you pursue the best tenant for your properties and disregard how they pay your rent.

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

We've had a couple HVAC techs recharge the refrigerant and one recommended replacing the entire system.

LOL Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

My Insurance Agent has strongly recommended that I put a Construction Agreement in place with my Contractor to shield me from liability, etc. 

I would recommend an STR for the best tax benefits and cash flow no doubt.

Others recommend tools like Stessa or Buildium to track actual costs and project future expenses. 

Quote from @Bob Avery: I don't recommend leaving a space blank because someone could later attempt to add something in.