-Real Estate is a numbers game so find a budget that makes you comfortable.

Smaller banks and commercial lenders may allow an assumption but rarely as they would rather make a new loan and an assumption may not have any new buyer's skin in the game, not a good lending practice.

At this point, from what I have looked at in my area (Internet and driving around), I am leaning more towards flipping and/or buy and hold.

Chicago renters know the game and always  rental lease addendums be best looked over by a Chicago Lawyer before you start pissing off your renters.

It helps you build credibility with other professionals (you know HML, Contractors Etc.)In AZ I learned from my CPA that from the founding of my LLC I can write off my entire cell phone and internet bills at home as they are essential in my home based business of real estate investing, without the LLC I was only allowed to write off the percentage portion based on the square footage designation I gave to my home office space, that is 10% in my case, which I still can use to write off part of my electric and mortgage payments since it is still used as home office.You can start building your brand now, rather than waiting and hoping that no one takes your company name/idea...

@Daniel Raposo, really great to hear that BRRRR can be a reasonable strategy at this stage in the game for the right deal.

Use the internet like Zillow or BP. 

Lower price markets it happens for sure, but its a different game here. 

Loan limits are tied to area income in part, but the advent of the internet (etc) means a veteran can work in a high paying job and live in an uber low cost area.

Lenders sometimes get in on this game too, alas (especially if it's new construction and you took the bribe to use the builder's "preferred lender" - that's the whole point of the bribe to use that lender!).