Go to BUILD YOUR TEAM at the top of the screen and look for local investors or meetups in your area.

I recommend you call a local agent or broker to give you a better lay of the land so you understand the challenges/opportunities in this area.

@Luke Spencer I am not on the management side but I can tell you it took 2+ years to fill 300 units at one of our facilities and the other just hit 300 units in 12/13 months so it really depends on the demographics, and local housing market trend, the more people moving in and out the higher the demand for storage.I think if you're looking at a saturated market then the upfront cash to turn the warehouse into self storage is not a good idea but then again, maybe those operators are on back roads ( low visibility ) and don't push google ads well.

Find local meetups, rub elbows with other investors, find out what they need, and then find a way to meet that need.For example, maybe an investor is growing fast and struggling to keep up with inspections.

Your team can stay local.  

@Jennie Berger gave you the whole kit & caboodle on Chicago zoning so I don't have a ton to ad, however, I'd highly encourage you to engage an architect like @Samuel Pavlovcik or @Prashanth Mahakali, both are awesome local Chicago resources.

Find and attend your local REI groups. 

., but there’s some good news for renters: local rents have dropped to a 3-year low, with decreases of up to $200.

Start by networking with local investors, identifying target neighborhoods, running numbers on potential deals, and lining up financing so you're ready to act when the right opportunity comes up!

Hi Isaiah, I am based in Fort Lauderdale and can speak to the local market directly.