If you're looking at a 3/1 house and doing a 15k reno (say that gets you livable, but not high end )And other houses that are in that same condition and size, within a few miles, that have sold in the last few months are selling for $150 - then that's your ARV. 

In addition to over 4 miles of existing paved roadway and 8 miles of gravel roadway, the island offers strength in its utility connections and capacity.

Currently considering an X mile radius around the zip code where I live so I'm not driving all over the planet looking at houses.

I currently live 10 miles from Dwight and 35 miles south of Joliet.  

I'm am brand new to the real estate investment field. I wish that like many of you I was still in my 20's, but those days are long gone. My husband and I are in our early 50's and now that the kids are moved out we're...

Is that the small lake that's only 40 miles wide?

My partner and I traveled for miles over this past Holiday weekend to look at properties and John met up with us and walked us through each property.

Try to be as close to 9 mile as possible. 

Fair enoughProsHomes can be purchased for a fraction of the cost of higher end markets.High rental demand.Relatively landlord friendly government.ConsLoosing population to the states with warmer climates.Freezing winters leave investors open to the risks of frozen pipes and property damage.A small problem can turn into a big problem if your property is thousands of miles away.

If you are the pro-active landlord, you'll meet the many more good people in these areas and often, they'll clue you in to some good tenants (still requiring a full screening process both for doing the right screening and for legal reasons, you really need to screen people equally no matter what) and the city will see that you're not another replay of what they've seen too much of, the out of area (could be just living 5 miles away or 2000 miles!)