Question 2:  Should I even consider the low 500s score? 

Because my equity is high, my ROE is low, but seems to make a boost on ROE if I payoff the remaining mortgage, which surprised me.

They’re relocating out of town and would like to sell by the beginning of the year.Here are the key details:Current rent: $1,850/month (tenant is month-to-month, wants to stay)Market rent estimate: $2,200–$2,350/monthTenant history: Has been there for about a year; was paying $2,150 at their prior rental, so an increase to $2,000+ should be manageable.Seller’s situation: They owe about $156,000 on the property and want to net around $100,000 after all taxes and fees.Existing mortgage rate: 3.5%Wholesaler offer: $287,000My position: I just bought a fixer-upper, so most of my cash is tied up, but I can access around $100,000 from a HELOC at 6.5% (15-year draw / 15-year repayment).Question:Is there a way to creatively structure a deal that allows me to leverage the seller’s existing low-interest mortgage — even though it’s not officially assumable?

Now the average deal at 25 down has 0 cashflow and low down negative cashflow.

And some others builders that were offering as low as 3.5% interest. 

You can absolutely find both appreciation and cash flow in Chicago.

You're spot on—in this market, you absolutely have to be open to multiple financing opportunities to get a deal done.

Absolutely not.

Demand is strong, vacancy is low, and it has that established neighborhood stickiness that tends to hold value even during slower markets.

Cut low‑value habits by replacing them with a cue routine reward stack, and measure progress by actions, not feelings offers sent, PMs interviewed, deals scanned.