I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and would ideally like to invest in IL since my family is still there and can serve as a home base for whenever I need to be in the area, but with IL property taxes being as high as they are I'm also scoping other markets in nearby states.Does anyone have any general advice for buying / investing long distance?

I'm particularly passionate about flips and Brrrrs!

AS long as its over 1.00 and if it's not, there still might be ways to mitigate. 

Investment Info:Single-family residence fix & flip investment.

Flips are labor and time intensive but are good for cashflow if done right but can be difficult for new investors without a good mentor.

Some took a long time, some took a medium amount of time.

Once you have stabilized the property and satisfied long-term loan seasoning requirements of the bank, you'll refi to the less expensive long term lender. 

This is a long game and the market is dynamic in the short term.  

Investment Info:Single-family residence fix & flip investment.

I don't know 100% if this is the smartest decision or best decision long term, but that is why I am here trying to learn and understand.