- This ties into the previous question a bit, but we have around $70k that we could be comfortable deploying into this if we find the right deal. 

1.Finding Value: Identifying properties with strong upside potential is critical in markets like Antioch.2.Rehab Management: Staying under budget and on schedule ensures better cash flow and quicker refinancing.3.Leverage Matters: The HELOC strategy allows me to scale quickly and acquire more properties without tying up personal capital.

I'm unsure if you would be able to combine both loans given that the HELOC is tied to a different property than the one you got traditional financing on.A work around is if you are able to purchase the new property with the HELOC at a significant enough discount, bring the property value up via renovations or additions, then refinance the property, pulling out enough money to repay the HELOC. 

Plus I don't want to be tied up living in NY.

You might check with your Self-Directed IRA Trust Company/Custodian, they might have a brokerage connection capability where you can setup a brokerage account tied to your IRA, then you can with that brokerage to invest in various public market investments, in some cases stocks, mutual funds, ETF's, treasuries, and CD's.

I suppose it could be more than just your business because it’s all tied together.

They are just going to use their 2nd VA loan to buy their next one while this one is tied up. 

All important factors to consider- population growth or decline, job growth or decline, inventory rate and movement- is is a seller's market getting stronger or softer or a buyer's market getting stronger or softer?

With time rents will go up and you'll start cashflowing in year 2 or 3, and year 5 to 10 when interest drops you can lower your payment and cashflow much stronger.

As an update from my end, since my concrete block walls were knocked down in Hurricane Ian, today I finally found out that new block was delivered put back up and the Tie-Beam is being formed to be poured.