Strongly suggest scoping out GA, TN, OK, PA, AL, IN, etc.  

I suggest checking out some of the meetups on BPs meetup page:https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/521-real-estate-events-...I also have a list of all the other Chicago meetups that I can share with you.

I would suggest keep learning and dig deep on the one real estate strategy you selected to pursue. 

Think there is some substantial validity in this, but do you think it could potentially be utilized in a different fashion?

Your Lender My suggestion to find #2 & #4 would be to go to the top of this page and click on AGENTS & LENDERS. 

Here are a few suggestions on how you can maximize the wealth of information available: Check out the blogs and podcasts, or take advantage of the search feature (magnifying glass).

My suggestion is to find some real estate industry surveys (via CBRE or others) and look for the MF cap rates in various cities/states/regions.

Data suggests that both of these places have been on a decline for years.

I suggest you always have an assessor come out to take measurements.

You can't call up Apple's CEO and suggest improvements, but you can definitely upgrade your rental property's kitchen to command higher rent.