I echo the others on screening guests for cultural fit.

The city of Chicago has so much to offer people with a vast array of fantastic food, music, life, and cultural experiences.

What you say about family size is true, but it varies greatly within different cultural/ethnic groups. 

New cultured vanity marble counter tops in both full baths.

You can make good money in the mess if you are willing to do what it takes You CANT be :-scared of people from different cultures and low education backgrounds - big hearted -leanant -timid If you are any of these things above you should hire a property manager because these people have literally made a life of gaming the system and going around the rules .

Very excited to enjoy the culture down there and start our investing journey as well.Ill check out the blog for sure, we are hoping to get a duplex / quad as our live-in home so we can negate the primary mortgage, that will be our first step once we settle on an area is finding a good first property.

Should local communities/cities be able to have the right to determine their own housing policies, what protections they offer their residents, and what works best in their specific economic, housing, political, cultural, and social context?

Petersburg might be an interesting place to look at- there are tons of local REI that are investing there, high rental demand, lots of interesting nightlife and cultural stuff, and I think more of a young scene.

I will say that "culturally" or "typical societal pressure" alludes to giving earnest money as the proper thing to do, but it is not required to have a valid, enforceable contract.

I worked for a behemouth bank and I know the corporate culture very well.