@Jacob DaltonIt seems you have a high level of concern when it comes to investing in Cook County.

It looks a lot like a customized version of High Level, kind of like REI Reply.   

It’s great to hear you’re ready to take things to the next level in the residential space.

The Bay Area can feel intimidating when you see those price tags, but with your husband’s contracting skills, you’ve got a real advanatage.

It could be some sort of skill set for renovations, design for furnished rentals, specific market knowledge, owner occupied loan products for a house hack, etc. 

The "big" firms like AA may get a lot of hype but they generally can't compete on the next level tax strategies (Family office type strategies) nor customer service as their employee turnover is quite high.  

kept using people who don't do real estate to do my taxes, and also they had horrible communication skills, I don't trust people who only see u as money.

Once the above skills and tools are acquired, understanding the sequential process of the development along its timelines and costs needs to be correctly implemented.

If you build your investor network while working on wholesaling skills, when you find a real deal you can sell it for a profit.

What was their level of speed & competence?