What I find to be most valuable: Ease of use, cost-savings and efficiency and here's what I mean: If using an interior designer to furnish your rental, they will hand you a list of supplies + furniture to buy and what I was able to do with Minoan is upload that list as a CSV file and then they come back with a quote of all of the items they can fulfill along with their respective discount. 

Consider structuring your investment through an LLC for liability protection and tax flexibility.This post does not create a CPA-Client relationship.

I would like to learn more about analyzing realestate deals, learning more about finding investors, structuring opportunites for other and myself to invest into.Does anyone have any sugguestions on books to read, or people that I can talk to regarding some of these topics?

How is this deal structured?

With the right structure, we can fund 100% of the renovations.

Here is some key information:Property recently hit the market and has 2 cash offers alreadyThe seller provided a pre-inspection report, which I shared with 2 different lenders, both think it may fail conventional financing due to potential structural and electrical issues (realtor thinks it could pass conventional)Seller has 100% equity but is behind on other payments (not sure of the urgency money is needed)This is my first attempt at an “investment” property so I’m new to thisI see 3 optionsMove forward with an offer using conventional loan pre-qualification-Not as attractive of an offer to the seller-Possibility that appraiser calls out structural/electrical issues that need to be fixed before closing, effectively causing financing to fail- Best terms and fewest loan fees for meUse a rehab style loan such as ChoiceRenovation-Even less attractive than a conventional offer to seller, but less risk of failed financing if appraiser calls out issues-Slightly worse fees and interest rates compared to conventional-Lenders tell me possibly up to 60-90 days closing in some cases, with red-tape for contractor requirements and draw schedules (sounds like the most hoops to jump through during rehab)Use a hard money lender-Most attractive loan option I can give to seller so I can compete-Much higher fees and interest rate for me-need to refinance into a conventional at the end of rehab (not familiar with seasoning periods but I think this is a factor as well)Which option would you do?

With your maintenance and construction background, you'll definitely have a leg up in creating value, whether you go with a smaller home or a multi-unit property.If you're exploring seller financing and deal structuring, connecting with experienced investors here in Chicago will be a game changer.

I appreciate the structured approach you've outlined for getting started in real estate investing.

Do you have tips for structuring short-term leases that protect me as a landlord while accommodating their needs?

It's less about the time it takes me to conduct a transaction this way, and more about automating the process for myself and creating structure and organization for tracking purposes.