.)- Evolve to rehab flips with your own moneySomewhere along the way, GET YOUR LICENSE so you can:- List housesBecause... you can list a lot more houses than you can get under contract, plus over half the people that contact you will actually want full retail price for their property or close to it, so be prepared to do SOMETHING with those guys to make $$.

I bought 3 houses around that time: one was a flip that failed and I immediately converted to a profitable rental, the second was strictly as a rental, and the third was a move-in rehab for a later sale.Then I wanted to get into multi-family, but got distracted and opened up a small retail space - which pretty much wrecked me.

I've been retailing properties here in California every single year since I got into this business.

Not a retail buyer.

Everyone is different though and your risk tolerance and patience may be different than mine.I'd contact the permitting department and explain your situation and see what they have to say about it.

So much "not my department" and tons of run around.  

Section 5-15(a) of the Act provides:  It is unlawful for any person, corporation, limited liability company, registered limited liability partnership, or partnership to act as a managing broker, real estate broker . . . or to advertise or assume to act as such broker . . . without a properly issued sponsor card or a license issued under this Act by the Department, either directly or through its authorized designee. 225 ILCS 454/5-15(a).  

Also depends on what you're investing in (i.e. homes, apts, office, retail, etc.). 

If they have friends in the department, the paper work seems to be processed way faster than some John Doe walking in to get a permit. 

Also it would seem that there are two types of values a property could have: 1) The average retail amount 98% of homebuyers would pay for the property using conventional financing methods and 2) The amount an investor would pay for a property using all cash or equivalent means.