The one thing to consider is that IL and NY are both not landlord friendly states.

I don't know what's going on in their lives, and usually if someone is punching up at a landlord or their representative it's because of something in their lives that they're really stressed out about.

Always meet in person:  This will give you a good idea of the person, if they're smoking a cigarette while talking to you, or being very negative about their previous landlord make sure you make note of that.4.)

The area is fairly landlord friendly.  

I think Landlords are better off using strong policies, knowing the law, acting quickly and professionally.

Can you subdivide and sale extra land from these two properties?  

Free meetups and BiggerPockets forums are great for this.Cold Calling & Door Knocking – If you’re willing to hustle, contact absentee owners or landlords with vacant properties.

Entity structuring, basis calculation (i.e. breakout between building and land), deductible expenses, etc.

Know your responsibilities as a landlord instead of acquiescing to every request or complaint.

Long time investor/landlord in NC and SC, let know if you have any questions?