We did get much lower costs when we changed to minisplits but the initial cost is high.

I love that you have specific goals for 2025 - I believe if we think it, write it, say it, and share it our goals are 10x more likely to come to fruition.Are you able to do option 2 and just house hack a 2-4 unit building and use a renovation loan which allows you to put down 3.5-5%I highly suggest getting to some local chicago meetup groups (we have an in person one on the 17th)...here is BPs list: https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/521-real-estate-events-...I also have a full list of the chicago meetups that I can share with you too if that'd be helpful.

But 1) you're likely grandfathered in if they ever do, and 2) there are no talks or indications of changing directions on their stance. 3) long term rentals don't cashflow here, but our appreciation is super high.

High credit scores and low DTI are often required…and these take much longer than I first thought…Navy might take 45 days to get through the gauntlet.  

If you believe your property’s assessed value is too high, you have the right to challenge it.

I’d hate to see you walk away from that high an income and regret it.

Since you're analytic savvy, run some high level amortization schedule scenarios to see how much equity you gain through annual principal payments.

cash flow is still fine with the high rates.

It was high rent, low entry point area but within 6 months I dealt with an eviction and electrical issues.

I highly recommend her.