They wont connect service in a unit (had service before turnover) because they're upgrading service.

I am looking for insights from anyone who has recently upgraded their electric service in Chicago.

Start with your primary, rent out any spare bedrooms "house hack"Use that to practice upgrades, kitchen, bathroom, curb appeal... etcNow you have experience as a landlord and flipper, use that to buy a distressed propertyAdd 40% equity to the property through home makeover, refinance into a low cost mortgageNow you are cashflowing a healthy margin on a second property, use that to build equity over time, cashout later and buy your duplex/quad.If it's going to take you 10 years to save up a down payment for a small apartment building, yeah it makes more sense to start growing your portfolio with cheap SFR flips instead.Every market is different, every borrower is different, every property is different, it would be ill-advised to recommend anything without recognizing the individual's nuanced goals and objectives with their next acquisition.

I’ve found that putting in a bit of effort upfront, like when I upgraded my kitchen with discounted German appliances delivered straight to the US, makes things run smoother in the long run.

Could do I a lot less to get lower rents (for example an upgrade may be $10-$15k where a bare minimum repairs and cleaning may only be $1-2k).

So we're now waiting on a $1.2M triplex in Atlanta that's being prepared for market or a commercial 7 units building that the owner decided to upgrade with 2 leases expiring before selling.

By moved you mean upgraded to his new construction of garage looking builds right?

If you use the promo code "marley" its 50% off for the first month. definitely has been an upgrade for us from switching from Salesforce, trello, podio,etc 

Issues we faced were conflicting opinions on the next home we should purchase for our portfolio and what upgrades to do when we were doing a flip, the cost of labor and materials, etc.

Keep in mind that many of these cheap homes are selling for less than a third of their insurance replacement value, which really means that the land has negative value - let that sink in.Most buyers who can actually qualify for a mortgage will get a PA for $200-300k and desperately want to upgrade their life.