OF course, you may have all this stuff figured out, but the original post was vague.

If you think you will have it for less than 4 years I would say go with the HELOC because you have less origination costs.

What your deal would ultimately entail is a buyer who trusts you enough to give you $125k and trust you to pay it back while his property is encumbered by both your seller finance note and your original mortgage for $125k.

We are looking into getting a fixer upper and plan to rent out our original residence ( Zillow says we can get $2700 median rent in our area ) while moving and fixing up the new house.

It’s always good advice for someone doing a 1031 to actually have their replacement property under contract when they sell the original property, but few actually do this.

My original plan was to buy 15-20 properties with REI if things went well. 

Originally from Africa, I’ve embraced new opportunities to build a better future, and real estate is at the core of my financial freedom plan. 

Assuming your property is in Utah (like your profile indicates), here's the state law from a basic internet search:In Utah, a tenant who abandons a rental property without notice is liable for the lesser of the following: The rent remaining on the leaseThe rent plus the difference between the fair rental value and the agreed-upon rentThe cost to restore the property to its original conditionThe landlord can also remove the tenant's belongings and sell them if the tenant doesn't claim them within a reasonable time.

That’s why my original post focuses on what can be done within that space to address affordability.

I am from North Carolina originally and looking to buy our next property in eastern Tennessee.