A/C vendors make a lot of money on spread, so keep asking. 

Better than the alternative of having a line of credit at 12%, the 2-3% hit in spread is lower than a 5% increase in cost of capital in my opinion.

lets say heloc rates are at 9% and deal is 15% coc, its a 6% spread Would youd do it? 

In Oregon my title company would give me update spread sheet of all NOD's going ( but keep in mind I was the largest buyer or one of them in the market at the time. 

I recommend investing close to home at least to get startedIsrael, thanks I am .. looking to spread the risk 

You essentially have essentially cast a super wide net and are going to get a ton of sales responses, but what I gather from your post that what you really need is a mentor/like minded investor to help hone in on recognizing good deals, narrowing your focus and absolutely protecting your capital.   

They're so many options and even when you get it narrowed down... there even more options to choose from to make it exactly what you want.   

Where open floor plan looks especially awkward is when the living room is already narrow from side to side and goes straight back into kitchen like a train car.

Narrow down your desired home (seems like you have that done already).2.

Why not pull out the capital you have tied up to have a larger down payment (or even spread it over multiple properties) and maybe even keep some extra money in the bank for reserves and renovations?