Podcasts and MillionAcre articles (via Motley Fool) will only get me so far, and if I've heard one mantra over and over, it's to just DO IT, letting mistakes 'fail me forward', as nobody's first house story is ever perfect (in hindsight), but is absolutely essential for turning a vague idea into actual action

There are numerous legal non-conforming units in Chicago and in the Chicagoland area.  

Check out the article below.

But I first recommend you read this article I wrote for Bigger Pockets titled How to Invest in Real Estate Before Turning 21.

In regards to the current market in the hospitality industry, I have been reading articles that are saying motels are actually booming during the COVID pandemic.

This means that you will probably need to pay registration and filing fees in at least 2 states if you don’t buy CA property.This article goes into a lot of the considerations about whether to form an LLC or not: https://www.mmpph.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/May-2019-newsletter.pdfBe sure to tell your accountant that you may now need to file non-resident income tax returns in each state where you own property as well.

More on that in this article by Cozy https://www.landlordology.com/...Hope this helps!

I'd be a first time home buyer and plan on doing renovations myself with the loan but I read a few contradicting articles that included info such as: contractors need to be approved, choosing the limited 203k loan option, etc. 

And within that same news article there is fiscal year reports of drug seizures for the last 5 years.

I'm not sure how old you are, but I recommend you read this article I wrote for Bigger Pockets titled How to Invest in Real Estate Before Turning 21.