The midwest can be a fairly lucrative and moderately safe place to invest your money, but you still have to protect yourself by purchasing the right kinds of properties in the right types of areas.

Maximizing IRR on your money is one of the benefits of investing in passive syndications (done safely).  

As for the responsibility of the permitting- assuming everything was done to code and is safe, the challenge will be when you try to sell it, it's very likely that during inspection the lack of permits will show up and it could be a dealbreaker or possibly good leverage for your buyer.

I've learned so much, in a safe space (get it?)

Given that you plan to house hack, I think figuring out which neighborhoods are convenient to work, offer decent 2-4 units at reasonable prices, are safe, and offer the amenities (restaurants, night life, shopping, etc) are going to be important to you.  

Hi BiggerPockets. This is my first post. I am also a newbie in real estate, but I've been studying it for about a year now. I've decided to get my feet wet and go for my first deal.Currently I'm in contact with someon...

I know that there are many variables to this, but it there a good or safe rule of thumb to go by when you are expanding your RE portfolio?

In my research for properties for flips on Craigslist I found cheap properties in need of some rehab.Checked my local assessor site and the market values on some were very low.Is it safe to say that after the rehab the values will go up considerably or does depend on the area?

Please clarify that you're saying safe to buy the property first at auction; as a title abstract typically has great success in clearing up issues after I will buy property at the sheriff sale?

This worries me because I do not want to be taxed on this money.If the money sits in my bank account for 60 days, is it safe to assume I should have no problem using it for a loan?