@Lucy AhlI am not taking sides here, but it sounds like there are quite a few things amiss from both parties. 

7) How professional do the marketing pics look?

Some focus purely on numbers, while others look at long-term value, location trends, or creative financing strategies.For those of you investing in Chicago (or similar markets), whats your mindset when evaluating off-market opportunities?

Feel free to keep us updated on your findings here.

When I look at the property and the information what I am noticing is the "game plan" is as follows:1.

You rarely will get both (at least not right now in this current market).If you want to explore different opportunities within various areas of the Valley, get a seasoned investor-friendly Realtor who is competent. 

I am posting here because I am looking for some advice or recommendations from other investors who can recommend a lender that they had a pleasant experience with.

Otherwise it might be better to look at bordering counties, such as Madison, Henderson, Haywood, etc.

They are all looking at strategies to use for their first deal and many of us are leaning towards a house hack to reduce the amount of capital we need upfront.

My name is Matt and I am a customer representative here at LoanGuys.com.