I have been in business for 35 years without government help .

Abilene is government, colleges and pipeline 

@Jayson Robinson Private flood insurance is great and most of the policies are broader as John had mentioned - Since there is usually a drastic savings over the NFIP/FEMA or government policy the private flood insurance market is a great solution for most property owners (especially if the property has never had flood waters in it).

When that happens both Chicago and its surrounding environs will pass rent control laws in a heartbeat.As for taxes, not only are property taxes high in Illinois to begin with, but they will only increase as all levels of government pay the piper for ignoring pension obligations for decades.

Even with all the government financing programs, banks are becoming more cautious as the future economic/employment outlook becomes more and more uncertain.There's even a bigger problem in that right now the inventory is so low that I think rehabbers are paying too much. 

Depending on the next president, the government may be stricter when it comes to allowing POGOs to continue their operations here.

This is not me speculating, there are articles released by the government about this.I'm not giving into the "there are no deals to be had" mentality, so I'm wondering if there are ways I can incentivize my agent and her brokerage to find me off-market deals?

The economy is super diverse, with lots of government jobs, prices are more affordable, cap rates are higher and demand is far out pacing supply.

I have thought about the appraiser field too after meeting the gentleman but its being squeezed by market forces and also by government regulations after the last housing crisis.

Im just saying besides worrying about expiring eviction moratorium we as landlords need to worry about the laws governing the collecting of the debt.