This does not bode well if there are other weather/health emergencies in the future.Also, as you are probably aware, the economic situation is more dire in that part of Cook County than others — especially as far as suburban areas go.

As do I, in dire need of a reliable handyman 

Now if the 1958 home is in dire need of updates, go ahead, but it sounds like you can live with the outdated house and put that money to work in a different property. 

That will never happen.Not with the current entitlement mentality of people who choose not to work for what they have and leach of taxpayers for decades (short-term in dire need trying to help themselves excluded).There's literally a snowball's chance in ##LL that welfare and entitlements like section 8 will cease to exist here.

Especially don't let governor moonbeam hear it, California is in such dire straits he'd implement it tomorrow!

OKC'S public schools are in dire need of help.

I established an account with them and later transferred, because I could never get a strait answer from one person.

I'm paying 3 to 4% of the market value for taxes- and more in a couple of towns).3) The city and the state are in incredibly dire straits financially.

People go to them in dire situations sometimes and they can have off market deals in there back pocket.

You could use it to buy a 1-4 family if you plan to live in one of the units, but not for SFH if you won't live there.The issue is that with such dire environmental issues, you won't be able to get a traditional loan product.You would have to either use cash from your own funds or pool funds from partners, or get a hard money or private loan.