Like many northern states, IL is considered tenant friendly and has a larger possibility of causing you problems down the road (esp as a new investor).Don't take my word for it, do some research.

His idea of paying down the mortgage faster means in the short term, less money in your pocket, but 10 years down the road you will have a lot more money in your pocket as the mortgage will be paid off.

Identify Exposures to loss (property & liability)2.

Essentially road map building

You also want to be on a highly traveled road in a visible location in a medium to high income area.Example 1: we invested heavily in a self storage facility with over 600 units in the tiny town of Beeville Texas.

First, identify your long-term game plan.

Try wholesaling, or do as much research as possible to setup yourself up to be eligible to house hack for an FHA loan in 1-2 years down the road.

I know this is all worth it but the road to success isn't smooth! 

Good luck with whatever road you choose!

Would be good to connect with brokers and network with others once you've identified your secondary market.