To cover renovations, I secured a $60K hard money loan, allowing me to improve the property without a significant initial investment.

You can't call up Apple's CEO and suggest improvements, but you can definitely upgrade your rental property's kitchen to command higher rent.

I have done several multiple property 1031 exchanges throughout the state for my clients who are looking to scale and improve their investment portfolio. 

Most are being encouraged to buy Class B-minus rentals and below, but no one corrects them about their mistake of using Class A assumptions on these rentals:When a newbie gets smacked with reality via their losses, they then can only suck it up until time improves their mistake or dump at a loss.So, my question is, why can't we all do better and grow our industry with integrity?

I want to improve our asset management side.

Improve your credit and financials so lenders are willing to take a chance on you.

Should I wait for Spring for greater inventory, or for lower rates to see if cashflow improves?

It depends on the property.... is it value add where there's also a construction component or merely a management improvement opportunity?

A post on recapture.People are concerned about recapture when they cost segregate their improvements and for good reason.Recapture is real, and those deferred taxes will need to be paid.But fear not!

A potential challenge with a HELOCs is they are based on the current appraised value of your home, not the improved value, so you would need to make sure you have enough accessible equity.