I decided to youtube videos that would help me learn about investing and stumbled upon bigger pockets podcast.

Everything I earn in real estate goes back into improving and buying. 

Then you would get the most benefit from the bleed over from any improvements you make.Also make sure you are pushing rents up not down.

@Rob KrachYou are clearly acting as an agent and creating an illegal lease mandating tenant to do repairs.You can't find tenants for people because it's a "friend"my advice to you is to get a license in the state of Illinois, and then list properties for lease option and get a fee for finding a tenant buyerOr find a way to get on title as a principal without the license, such as subject to existing financing or land contract.As @Curt Smith said Google "YouTube Jeff Watson illegal Wholesaling"The business of Real Estate Investing takes not just reading on boards but getting a good contract attorney and understanding local laws of agency @Bill Gulley

In a small town full of dilapidated homes, my family is trying to buy property and improve the town, one house at a time.

Therapy animals provide people with therapeutic contact, usually in a clinical setting, to improve their physical, social, emotional, and/or cognitive functioning.I would also add one more point that is often misunderstood; with the millions of men & women who experienced combat in the US Military, hundreds of thousands return home with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).

On average, they have been small (<1800sf) 4 bedrooms that cost around $80,000, needing $20,000 to $35,000 in improvements, and appraising around $140,000.  

It definitely needs some tlc from the outside, which don't have a problem with because I can make improvements and there is a lot of room for rent increase.

(B) "Property" means real property located in this state improved by virtue of a dwelling having been erected on the real property.

I've done quiet a bit of research which include webinars, podcast, YouTube, and just some good old hard cover books, but even with all that information I'm finding it rather challenging to actually start making some deals happen.