I'm local to the Chicago market and it is crazy right now.

This is not a problem if you use a licensed CA real estate broker to originate your loan since they get an exemption against usury for loans secured by real estate.My strong suggestion is to find an experienced hard money lender at a local real estate club to originate the loan for your lender.

I hope my abilities will serve me right with real estate investments.I am interested in buy and hold or fix & flip deals of SFH up to $250K.I would be happy to get some tips and start building connections and a local team.I appreciate your help,Chen

I would recommend getting in touch with some local wholesalers that may be able to source properties that fit your criteria.  

Can you find a friendly local agent who will pull a CMA for you to help you sent the rent?

should consult with local real estate attorney or property manager and they will advise the best way to do it 

I worked with a local agent and looked online.

Local Real Estate Networking: Attend networking events in the Phoenix region and make connections with other real estate investors.

Attend your local REI meetups to build up a strong network and feel free to reach out and connect with everyone in the community and find a mentor doing what you want to do. 

I’m a local investor here with a lot of pre existing relationships with lenders, contractors, realtors, wholesalers, etc… if you have any questions give me a call