Yes, using equity/credit cards/non-mortgage loans can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. 

He mentioned having a second mortgage on the house (orig. purchased in 2014) and credit card debt and that’s why he needs to sell even though he says he really doesn’t want to.

Paid off 1 personal CC card from last year and working on the car, I always have revolving CC debt for the businesses :)

Not to mention the fact that you can get financing with 0% interest with a credit card if you were in a pinch.  

Ask your parents to add you as an authorized user on their credit card, then put it in a drawer.

That will make a Heloc payment higher since a mortgage payment is set up over 30 years.Cash out refinance is putting cash in your hands and cash is king without the hassle of being an "Open end" mortgage or basically a credit card.

For networking, I think I'll start just by attending a local real estate investor meeting and just listen and meet people, and hand out my business card.

We won't even accept credit card payment as that can often be pulled back after payment.

I was thinking of getting one for my property's LLC and then adding myself as an employee with a separate card, cancel my card I have for personal use, and expense the annual fee for the business card.If I have a business card as an employee, what are your thoughts on using that "employee" card for my personal expenses so I can track them and pay them separately.  

However if you decide to get those new power tools you want on the business credit card and your business is a tax firm like us, its going to be hard to justify to the IRS (and your wife) why it was a valid purchase for tax purposes.