Frustrated with lack of my own creativity to find a 2nd rental

[Eric Blair]

I'll try to keep this brief. The TLDR: I have a rental property with anywhere from $60-$80k equity but have no idea how to find a 2nd property that cash flows in todays market

So I purchased a house and house hacked. Moved out 2 years later and it's been rented since (4 years). Cash flow has been great. Basically double the mortgage. I don't spend any of the money I get, I just save it

House details:

- purcharsed in 2019 and refied in 2020 to 2.75%

-Refied at $107k and worth between $160k- $180k based on similar homes recently sold in the neighborhood 

-Currently have a great paying W2 job in a lcol area (Alabama). I can save $2k a month if I would quit skydiving so much

Question is, how can I leverage my rental into finding a cash flowing property? Everything I see is super expensive that I just can't see how the numbers work. BRRR seems to be dead to those of us with less than $100k saved (which is me). I can't get a HELOC on my rental because the local banks won't do that for investment properties. So what are some clever ideas to finding my 2nd rental? It's been 4 years. I'm ready for another one

I have a family now and don't really want to move them around while I house hack. My primary residence tho would make a great rental. It also has $60k equity on a 2.5% mortgage. I'd rather not sell either property due to such low rates but maybe it's time? I don't know. I'm here just seeking guidance from you professionals 

I am a veteran and both mortgages are under the VA loan so I'm tapped on my entitlement. I have excellent credit and make roughly $120k a year, if the extra info helps. So if you were me, what would you do?

Thanks so much for any reply! 

[Jules Aton]

RE wasn't my main gig either and I found it required flexibility and patience. I needed to explore creative financing-finding a property with a seller willing to hold the note, buying the ugly less expensive house and slowly updating it myself and/or taking the time to save up for the down payment. I also sat out a few years during early 2000s and 2021-2024 when prices were just too high to make my numbers work. Slow and steady can be a decent long term plan especially when you have a family and a solid income elsewhere.