I think that you have a specific competitive advantage over casual investors in that you work full time in the field and can create opportunities based on your knowledge disparity vs the general public and should be looking to capitalize on that especially if you don't have millions in the bank.I took a similar path and it has been extremely beneficial for both facets of my business. 

@Deanna Boss never leave broken, non-functioning appliances in a rental property.

Had to pay thousands of dollars to settle utilities, because they don't shut it off after 1 month of non-payment like it would make sense to do - tenant was overdue by over a year for utilities.

This is where tenants go to file about non-working items and pay rent to an escrow held by court/the county.

HI all, What are the some non-traditional value add on 21 units?

It seems to me that there's a hard limit on how far they can rise without tanking the entire economy given the level of public and private debt as well as the impact on financial markets. 

Otherwise you need a lender willing to lend on  a non-warrantable condo in Cook County. 

The first step with any brilliant idea, before protecting it, is to share it on the internet.

You could consider non-conventional commercial lenders.

Surety bonding protects you from all non-performances and locks in your price, so bonded contractors will make sure that their behind is covered on all worst case scenarios.