Make sure you account for all of your interest load if youre using a Heloc for permanent financing as you suggest.

I would suggest to sell the condo and reinvest into a single family home. 

If credit scores are fine, and you are just new to the work sector, then I would suggest doing a conventional loan with a strong income "non-occupying coborrower". 

I had to have an awkward conversation with my favorite realtor when their broker suggested everyone had to pay a $700 “document fee” on every sale.

As you suggest lowering down payment to buy more properties is one way, although the downside is greater risk in event of down cycle and more time to manage required.  

@Mary Parsek you are pretty close with this forum but I would suggest posting this in the "Mortgage Notes" forums.  

Connecting with local contractors or experienced investors in your area is also very helpful for getting accurate numbers.For ARV you’ll want to look at comps; You can start on Zillow or Realtor.com but I highly suggest connecting with a local agent.

I would suggest doing these separately however since you will run into issues with a partial release clause on a blanket loan.

Apologize for the delay - will get you some information.Hello Eric,I have reached out via DM as you suggested; looking forward to hearing back.

My suggestions would be in this order:(a) Determine the type of financing you qualify for - this will short cut the process considerably and save time on investment angles and next steps.