I run sum numbers for you please see comments below before refinancing and post refinancing .If I were in your position, I would approach it as follows:Initial Investment Assumptions: Market Value: $360,000 Purchase Price: $360,000 Equity: $0,000Financial Breakdown: Hard Money Loan (LTV 100%): $360,000 Interest Rate: 10% (30-Year Amortization) Monthly Payment: $1,995Upfront Costs: Origination fee (1%): $3,600 Closing Costs (3%): $10,800 Renovation Costs: $10,000 2 Month of Carrying Costs During Renovation: $5,390Total Upfront Required: $29,790Total Capital InvestmentPurchased price $360,000 Upfront Costs $29,790Total: $389,790To make this investment work, you need to rent the whole property for at least $3,165/month, refinance it let say after one year with 5% interest with a traditional mortgage.Year One Rent: Monthly Rent Income: $3,165 Monthly Rent Losses during renovations (2 Months): -$6,330 (-$527/month distributed over 12 months) Total Rent Income: $31,650 per year => $ 2,638 per monthMonthly Expenses: Hard Money Loan Payment (10% Interest): $1,995 / per month interest only Property Tax (Assuming $3,000/year): $250 per month Property Insurance (Assumption): $100 per month Utilities (Hydro, Gas, Water): $292 per month Assuming 0% Vacancy first year Assuming 0 % Repairs & Maintenance first year because unit has been recently renovated Total Monthly Expenses: $2,637Monthly Net Cash Flow: $1Post-Renovation Refinancing Strategy:So far, we’ve purchased the property, completed renovations, and rented it out.Next, you can approach the bank for a refinance to consolidate your initial investment of $29,790 plus your 360k debt into a mortgage.

Refi: The piggyback HELOC is a good tool for quick access to capital, but since it's been delayed and you're already tired, it might be worth waiting for a combined refi and HELOC.

This looks like a combination of interest rates and just relatively high prices still (e.g. most duplexes I've seen start at around 600k).

Any debt that can help in an emergency is a good idea.

When we did it, we did score some great deals, but what we found was that we were visiting so many properties to understand our "strike price" (the maximimum we would pay for the property when taking into account rehab costs, hold times, interest on any debt, closing costs, real estate commissions, a contingency reserve for "unexpecteds", etc) that the math started to not make as much sense.

With a DSCR (Debt Service Coverage Ratio) loan, you can tap into your equity and still retain the cash flow since it's based on the property's rental income rather than personal income.

.$8kish / year or so on routine and reactive maintenance combined which should include your cleanings, lawn care, maintenance calls ect. 12% per month of gross rents should be a good estimate if you want to look at it like that!

LOC's can have negative effects on your future purchasing power if not set up correctly and keeping in mind you can "never" use an LOC as a reserve or asset.It will always be a debt burden and can over inflate your back end debt ratios depending on the W2 income and your liabilities.

The ways involve a combination of undefined tech innovation and customer willingness to engage in unconventional transaction methods.There is options now, today, for buyers/sellers to transact real estate for 1% and less of the total transaction $. 

In college, work on the basics - get good grades, don’t get into debt, build your credit, etc.