according to the article  the killer was a convicted felon in possession of a firearm

If you succeed, you will get possession of your unit sooner and less expensively than going through a full-blown eviction.

Early possession may require the PR to post a bond, which would be an expense to the estate. 

For Example, you bought the Home and took possession on December 31, 2017 - you meet the basic requirement for filing for a Homestead Exemption in 2018.

Your best option is perhaps to go to the local REIA and offer investors help for whatever skills it is you possess.

I realize that an occupied foreclosure requires the buyer to evict the current occupants in order to obtain possession, so I am wondering if Cook County is better about evicting tenants when the property is foreclosed/sold than if the original landlord or lien holder is trying to evict the occupants. 

What is a Demand for Possession?

Hi Patrick and welcome to BP.I always like to say that good deals can be found anywhere in the US.Its harder to find the right people to do the deals with lollolWe are based in Ohio and are finding some amazing undervalued properties.Ohio and Michigan possess stigma's due to higher than average unemployment and "declining population".I do believe that these 2 states have lots of potential as soon as manufacturing jobs return to the rust belt.Indiana, Kansas, Missouri are some other sports with great numbers.Thanks for reading and have a great day.

If you buy a property in a neighborhood, just because you like it, that's not an investment...that's a possession.  

I wouldn't call a probate lead or pre foreclosure lead a niche investment strategy if all you do is buy it in a straight sale agreement.I have some other strategies:Buying partial interestsBuying heirs interests in estatesAdverse possession and gaining title via quiet titleBuying property subject-toStraight OptionsBuying debt to turn into foreclose-able judgment liensI've done four out of the six above.