I mean I highly doubt( but sure there will be other who say otherwise just because) you will find a very good investment property listed on MLS or other publically available service.On a side note if I did have aprroximatley 400k equity in two of my homes could I use any of that to invest in another property?

I speak to them regularly and bonuses have never been on their list of incentives.

Would like to know what it is called and if you could list some resources to learn it that would be great. 

We do want to settle in a little bit here while continuing to do our homework, but hope to get into something in the next 6-12 months.With the way interest rates are looking now and what little I see on public listings, I think a smaller multi-family that needs a little rehab would be the best bet. 

If you have a marketable property and its listed these agents will contact you.

The tried and true version is pulling a list of properties whether you're targeting distressed homes or high equity homes in which case you can pull on something like Propstream or Propwire, you can skip trace through them or someone like Prime Tracers which has a pay as you go system. 

What off-market really means is that the seller refuses to sign an exclusive listing agreement with an agent but tells the agent if they bring them a buyer, they'll payout a commission.

You can't list your commercial rentals on their website, it is definitely geared for residential rentals.   

I suggest checking out some of the meetups on BPs meetup page:https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/521-real-estate-events-...I also have a list of all the other Chicago meetups that I can share with you.

Curb appeal for higher-end properties will be much more important, especially when it comes to marketing - most ads and main listing photos feature the front of the property.In this case, I would consult with a professional - i.e. landscape designer or stager.