A couple other neighborhoods I like besides the two you mentioned are Washington Park, Hyde Park, Woodlawn, and South Shore.I think that area will continue to be gentrified because you have the lakefront as well as CTA trains.Is there any reason you are targeting Chicago instead ofdoubling down in Kansas City?

65%, 70%, 75%, 85%?

As others have said, if you post the address you will get more targeted advice about condition, price, photos, strategy, etc.

If you're not set on a specific market, it's worth waiting until you choose, as forming the LLC in your target state can simplify compliance, property registration, and taxes. 

You will also be able to achieve a decent rate with a longer PPP period.

From a credit perspective, house hacking also helps you build strong cash flow, which can make it easier to secure financing for future deals.Additionally, if you're targeting high-appreciation markets, you could also look into cash-out refinancing down the line to pull equity and fund additional investments.

I was willing to pay a higher upfront cost and sacrifice a greater monthly cash flow to achieve these top two priorities.We landed on a SFR in Harvest, AL.

I'm wondering if anyone has some baselines or targets that they shoot for in Royse City and Rockwall, TX.

CA's Secretary of State forms list the name and address of either a manager or member, so unless you're hiring a third party to serve as manager of your LLC, anonymity is very hard to achieve once filing publicly in CA.As to the probate part, you're right that going through a court probate is a huge hassle, including being expensive and time consuming. 

This will be the key to achieving your goals.