Make sure you have that addressed just from a liability standpoint. 4) You could also look into a mid-term rental option with traveling nurses if you think the unit is truly rentable. 5) AirBnB restrictions have gotten much stricter as well in general in Chicago, so make sure you are on the right side of those if you put your unit up since you are required to register with the City.

Right now I'm considering refinance options to pull out some equity.

If you’re looking to finance a rental purchase, a DSCR loan could be an option, as it focuses more on the property's income rather than your personal credit score.In the meantime, you can get your current property rent ready while also working on improving your credit.

The other option would have been to get it done at the US consulate, and I suspect that would have been a bumpier road.

And my options are: -One $800k property in CA (25% down), or-Two $400k properties in ID (both at 25% down).If we take the 2015-2020 5-year appreciation (so as not to include the roller coaster and unlikely 5-year market we experienced from 2020-2025) for each state, the CA property would see an average appreciation of 37%.

I was planning to do cash-out, but there are several factors coming together that is making that a less attractive option (higher interest rate, longer seasoning).

Add a Rental Security provision to receive stock options in Lazy Dogs LLC for any upside when it goes public!

And I'd definitely get that document into the hands of some good counsel for feedback on your options. 

I would possibly look into some other options in the regions.Good luck!

If your long term goals are in business, may as well get a grad degree related to that and I'm sure they have a lot of online options.