@Richard HartIn all honesty, my reason for wanting to invest in Cleveland is that I can afford to at the moment and there's the potential of getting decent returns there.In San Diego, I'd barely be able to buy a condo.

With investor mortgage rates above 6% plus points, prices on the South Side barely meeting the 1% rule, property tax increases, and the prospect of even higher rates if a cash-out refi is done on a value-add MF 6 months from now, how are you playing the Chicago multi-family market currently?

I was tired of working for someone else, I barely had any money saved, had a bunch of debt, and definitely not enough money to even pay for the mentorship in full.

I make just barely enough in my job to cover the expenses for both locations.

After some math, it looks like I’ll be barely making a cash positive, maybe ~$100 per month.

Normal is not good, normal is 9-5 in a grey cube where you do the bare minimum to not get fired. yes you may need a job to support your passion but following your passion will make doing those hard things in life a little easier.Also, it doesn't matter where you come from, someone will always make an excuse for you or blame it on luck and never give you the credit for what you did.

@John Prorok, not being accredited certainly makes it slightly harder to find, but barely.  

Tenants expect rent to go up every year with the cost of living and at a bare minimum you should be raising your rent equal to the annual cost of living index.

I look for 1% rule and B, C+ area.For madison, it is great opportunity if you find any property for 160ish K, the rents are barely 1300ish and doesn't meet 1 % rule. 

Turn off water, extract water and do the bare minimum so no further damage happens.