kevin  Lol...............No worries ...........I am cook with it.........More input the better............Hi   Ming .........The canadian RE market especially in the GTA has been exceptionally hot for the past few years so I am looking at some options outside of the country to diversify the investments.

:-)btw: I'm also in the chicago area - far south suburbs (mostly will and kankakee counties, with some early souther cook county purchases).

Quote from @Dillon Cook: That's a neat idea, but how frequently do you do that? 

With the rise of a focus on healthy/organic food, many travelers want a full kitchen to cook while on vacation.

Part of the reason we were willing to carry was that in Cook County, IL we can make a small claims court claim for up to $10k which is pretty close to the balance owed.  

I don't eat out often, but do a lot of cooking at home.

It's always best if you can make a trip to the market that you're investing in but as @Steve Cook say's having someone that you can trust on the ground is a big help.

Already, he said, taxes that office tenants pay are helping collar-county buildings at the expense of those in Cook County, where commercial property is assessed at a higher rate.

Nope , try bringing a steak to a restaurant and asking them how much to cook it for you . 

I want to be able to sell my fruits and vegetables and foster injured or retired animals.