Does a HELOC Work Like Actual Cash?

[AJ Satcher]

This could seem like a silly question, but I am going to ask it anyway to gain a better understanding of how a HELOC works. So….

If a HELOC is a line of "credit", what's stopping me from using my personal credit lines from purchasing a deal? Right now my limit on personal cards is over 30K but that's not cash I can use to fund a deal right. So is a HELOC really credit in the sense like my credit cards, or does it work like actual cash?

Thx