Taylor, You are on the right track by asking questions now and starting to learn as much as you can.

What is your track record of success?

Lenders look at creditworthiness/balance sheet/track record and the collateral in determining the leverage they will offer.

In France, they sell wine.They identified their customers (in your case, reliable tenants) and provided what they wanted to buy (rent).SummaryFollow this proven, step-by-step process to maximize your chances of success and minimize risk in real estate investing.Has this process proven successful?

Raising capital with your existing track record is going to be extremely challenging.

Use Real Estate By the Numbers as your guide, make sure it tracks the loan pay down and depreciation and have all of those numbers pour into a Schedule E.

How to track potential growth in an area to see if a lot is viable for purchase and building spec homes on etc. 

HELOCs are not available because they are residential loans guaranteed by individuals and what you seek is a type of commercial loan or credit line which are available to seasoned companies with proven financial track record.

They’re often familiar with market-specific expenses and can help validate your estimates.Lastly, as you analyze more deals, keep track of actual expenses on your properties or properties you’ve researched.

Investment quality is all that matters as you build the foundation for your track record.