VERY broadly speaking, the "good neighborhoods" are pretty centrally located - south and north of Downtown. 

honestly these types of cookie cutter arrangements are far too broad and general to comment on.

The contractors I've spoken with want to look at it all before they will even shoot me a broad estimate - understandable - but I don't have access to the property yet.

The Zillow numbers can give you a general idea starting point, but too much variables go into them and they are too broad. 

It's a broad topic.

I've been broadly educating myself the last few months but feel I need to narrow my education to what will best suit my goal.

There's a broad range of investors on this site. 

Here are a few tidbits of info:Real Estate Taxes (estimated 4% purchase price)Rural northern illinois is very broad.

@Chad Duval As Thomas S. said, your contracts are of limited term and therefore can be changed very easily (i.e. basically every month) as long as you notify the tenant of the change as per timeframe described in the lease (and/or local laws, whichever applies).As regards your statement of "making money" on those pets:  while I get the idea, you probably won't make any due to the additional wear and tear, if not even damages caused by the animals (as a broad and general statement; I personally know no cat that would ever pee on the carpet unless their owners are reckless idiots and don't properly provide for them).

You want to at least get broad form.