As long as your having a contractor set up the venting and plumbing that will meet code requirements it's just sometimes people don't factor that in. 

The properties are spread out in zip codes 38109 and 38118.

Hi everyone,I wanted to know if anyone could point me in the correct direction when it comes to finding tax lien and code violation houses within my county? 

A self directed IRA is not a way to get around the tax code and access your money before retirement age.  

I'm not sure what the code is for replacing water heaters, but a friend who is an insurance agent told me that an improperly/illegally installed unit can result in any damage claim not being covered.

Make sure you set up a separate entity for your long-term stuff (or even better an LLC for each property...) and one for flips if you end up doing any - that way there's no chance of being hit for self-employment tax as a 'dealer' under IRS code, for properties that you should have only been paying long-term capital gains tax, on sales of properties that you've held for over a year.

Are there any Chicago landlords out there familiar with smoke detector code in Illinois/Chicago? 

I'm pretty sure we have to honor the current leases.

After taking a spin through the housing code, here is what I found: 1) houses built after 1987 have to be hardwired; and 2) houses built after 2011 have to be hardwired, and have a battery backup.

What may be required are things like getting a Certificate of Occupancy for the new units and inspections depending on local building codes.