I am also experienced in photography and drone video/photography. 

@Jennifer McElliottI think #1 will be your biggest obstacle - the fact that you are not familiar with the area and also that you don't have a team in place to help you find, rehab and manage the properties, as opposed to your existing contact where you live.I think there is nothing wrong with looking at AL once you move there for opportunities, but you have the WA market to always fall back to since you know it well.

I have slowly built a team of people who can make decent repairs and renovations at an affordable price.

My team and I are having some trouble finding private lenders for our projects.

Yet, I still have some unanswered questions before I jump in.I currently have a team and an LLC which is where I conduct real estate business.

Bigger Pockets is the best way to go when reaching out to experienced investors and getting deals done the right way.

I was wondering if any more experienced members would be willing to share their stories about flips gone wrong, mistakes a beginner might make during the rehab, and stories about problems they have overcome to reach success? 

I have an experienced property management in the area so these can be turnkey.  

Hey guys.Being moderately experienced investor, I have done HUD's, local auctions, selelr financing, rentals, flips, etc...I have toying around with the idea of using a virtual assistant to submit my HUD offers (in and amongst other things).I am curious:1)  Has anyone been using virtual assistants to submit HUD and has it worked well? 

What are you seeing/experiencing in the Chicagoland market?