Welcome @Nicholas Norris,This website is full of resources and very knowledgeable individuals that are always willing to help.

@Dustin Palls, local cops seem friendly enough. 

A lot of my family/friends have lost their homes, but thankfully have made it out ok.I wanted to start this thread as kind of a 'check in' for everyone, and just making sure everyone is ok. 

I am interested in the flipping market as i'm very able to do the work and the work i cant do, i have friends who are in the trades who i can count on to help with the work that needs to be done the right way.

A friend of mine has used hard money for flip purposes and I am considering using it for buy/hold.My wife and I own two rental properties in the Tacoma, WA area.

That is for the individual investor to decide.

My observation from being close to some of these individuals is that there are two main reasons why they often don't invest with other investment managers:1-they don't know them (trust)2-they don't like/know about their track record (competence)Since my current track record in producing returns through RE investing is non-existent, the only currency that I have going for me is my character.

The money is good but I would much rather invest in NW Indiana (still near where I live) because its not as tenant friendly as Chicago.

These lists, if you're interested in trying them, are:- 75-100% equity with owners over 50 years old- tax delinquent- code violation...particularly overgrown or junky, multiple/long standing issues (this is a time/energy intensive list for me, hopefully your city's site is more user friendly)- recent arrests (sent out Wednesday, believe it or not I've already gotten a call back)Good luck!

Preferably in a multi-family home in a price range no more than $200,000 in a kid friendly area with fairly good schools, low crime, and access to numerous businesses and shops if at all possible.