What's the question?

Whenever I speak to a group of students interested in real estate, I always stress the importance of networking and simply asking people to coffee.

@Aparajith Srinivasan Welcome to BP in the OC. 

I recommend you set up your BP alerts so anything Chicago will show up on your feed. 

Getting multiple contractors involved will be your best bet to get a reliable estimate, though you need to come up with a scope of work.

But I’m wondering if it would be worth working with a local agent for the first one? 

Welcome to the community and I wish you all the best.

The home is about 50-60 percent complete.

You can use the 1031 to sell a larger unit that provides better cash flow while minimizing active management.You can either try to cluster those sales together so they close in a way that lets your replacement property be listed on each 45 day period and you close on it within 180 days of the first sale (the first exchange that will expire).Or you could do something like a reverse exchange where your Qi purchases the new property and holds it for you for up to 180 days while you sell all of your properties. 

If the PM screwed up your insurance claim, why did you continue working with them?