I would suggest Indy.

I love that you have specific goals for 2025 - I believe if we think it, write it, say it, and share it our goals are 10x more likely to come to fruition.Are you able to do option 2 and just house hack a 2-4 unit building and use a renovation loan which allows you to put down 3.5-5%I highly suggest getting to some local chicago meetup groups (we have an in person one on the 17th)...here is BPs list: https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/521-real-estate-events-...I also have a full list of the chicago meetups that I can share with you too if that'd be helpful.

Quote from @Monish Anand: Start by looking for personal recommendations from investors in that market, then look on realtor.com or a google search.DO NOT use agents suggested by a website like realtor, Zillow, etc.

If you're getting started, I'd suggest focusing on single-family homes in growth areas with strong population trends—let me know if you need help finding the right deal!

@Venka Pulla Many smaller PMCs are unprofessional, they can also be vindictive.So, suggest you get all the info you can from your Owner Portal before terminating them.Also, hire a new PMC BEFORE terminating the current PMC.Then, terminate and work closely with the new PMC to get tenant payments switched over and whatever documentation is missing.Hopefully, you'll screen for a new PMC better than you did to pick the current one!

In addition to Nathan's great recommendations, I also suggest verifying that the PMC is licensed.

Jan and Feb are historically slow but a few suggestions I have are1.

Will they suggest customers fly out to see properties before buying? 

That is a great suggestion. 

But I would suggest exploring all options to make sure you are getting the best rate and terms.