How can I expand or grow my portfolio?

[Chad Duncan]

I am currently looking for my first deal in real estate investing and have been wondering what ways I can expand or grow my real estate portfolio. I want to start with the mindset of growing my real estate investments into a full time career in the near future. I am by no means trying to put the cart before the preverbial horse, but am looking to my future from the beginning of my career.

My thinking is this...

Eventually I will get my first MFH or SFR and want to immediately roll into the next deal (thinking positive!). My goal is to have close to 100 units in 15 years. I have heard of this being done, but don't know which way(s) are the best that allow one to accomplish this.

I have heard of taking a HELOC loan out, but with buying a property and rolling into the next immediately, normally doesn't have any equity built up. Other examples would be private lending for down payments, borrowing from family (not possible for me), doing a owner-occupied investment and saving the rent I would normally have paid for a year and then reinvest (this is my plan as of yet, but it seems that it would take a long time before I accomplished my goals), using a credit card to fund deals (which I will not do), partnering (very skeptical of some others motives since I am new), selling after a year or two (speculating appreciation of course, which is bad news) and various not so friendly ideas.

Can anyone shed some light to what ways that I can roll into the next property fast so I can start the snowball effect in the first year? If you have any case studies or examples of your own would be greatly appreciated. If you have recommendations on books, articles, videos, podcasts that may describe this in more detail will also be much appreciated as well!

Thanks for your time and replies ahead of time! :)