I fully support doing everything you can as a landlord to be in compliance of local zoning and ordinances, so I want to use your thread as a chance to let newer investors know a really important lesson: you can call the local municipality prior to owning a property. 

While the LTV and rate aren’t perfect, it supports your scaling goals.

I dont believe there is any kind of HOA or ruling organization for these group of houses but it has me concerned that if one day they all decide they want to repave the driveway or add lighting or something along those lines, they would try and make everyone chip in and pay their fair share. 

You'll find a ton of kind, supportive, and helpful people here.Are your existing 7 properties currently in Chicago? 

Utilize a 1031 Exchange: Under IRS Code Section 1031, you can defer capital gains taxes by reinvesting the proceeds from the sale into a similar “like-kind” property.

You'll get all kinds of advice from novices here- good and bad.

this will yield a bunch of random markets all over the countrywhy not pick a market where you have some kind of advantage and focus all your energy on that? 

Agents pay for insurance for these kind of things.

Thanks for the kind words!

Ensure you have an emergency fund for vacancies or repairs and verify market trends to confirm the investment supports your long-term financial plan.This post does not create a CPA-Client relationship.