Treat it like a litigation and asset protection issue from day one.The cost of a good attorney here is almost certainly cheaper than one bad mistake.

The difference is that in most places if convicted, they will be ordered to pay restitution and the court collects that for you unlike a civil judgment which is very hard to collect. 

I may be going into litigation with them and I'm looking to connect with other investors who might be interested in joining together to help save on legal costs.

I know John Benz at Rawn law firm has experience litigating for elevator companies.

From a practical and litigation standpoint, which approach is stronger in Cook County/Chicago?

Once under agreement, hire a local land use attorney and civil familiar with the city our county early.

Curious if anyone here has experience with this.I've been acquiring fully adjudicated civil judgments at a discount where real property collateral has already been identified in the debtor's name.

If your property is homesteaded, can someone take it from you in a civil lawsuit?

As far as litigation fears, things rarely reach that point.

The biggest things that could go wrong are special assessments, HOA restrictions on renovations or resales, pending litigation, financing issues for buyers, and the unit not actually comping where you think once condition and floor or view are factored in.