Does anyone have a few resources I could check out to learn more about private lending and how to use that to fund real estate deals.

There are plenty of great resources and subforum categories depending on what you want to learn.

Additionally, don't hesitate to leverage the wealth of resources available through platforms like BiggerPockets, which can offer you everything from forums for asking questions to educational podcasts and webinars.Keep honing your skills, stay up-to-date with market trends, and be open to learning from every experience, both successes and setbacks.

@Darrin Suttles As Harriet mentioned, Dave Van Horn is a great resource on this.

Select one strategy, network with people who have experience in that particular area and focus your attention and resources there.

I joined the platform because I'm really interested in hearing firsthand about the tangible needs of property owners in the real estate world.I’d love to ask: what tools or resources do you wish existed (or worked better than they currently do) to help keep recurring home costs low—whether that’s property taxes, insurance, utilities, or something else?

Happy to go in to detail with you if you want to DM me, but here are my high level thoughts:-Once you get started, there are TONS of trainings, documents and resources that are available to you and I found to be very helpful. 

If you are going to buy and hold, MFH is a better long term choice, but you are right to be concened, if not local, your team and resources will make or break the deal. 

@Charles Kennedy We have a lot of free resources on our website for both the active and passive note investor.

Chicago multifamily club, straight up Chicago investor sometimes puts on meetups, Windy City REI, etc. if interested in Chicago, I'd recommend listening to the straight up Chicago investor podcast as there's great resources for the city or suburbs.