I instantly researched them and have only read positive things.

It also depends on the situation sometimes a HELOC is warranted for short term financial needs so long as you have a plan to get back in the same or better financial position afterwards and the "means," and "will," to carry out this financial or mortgage plan- HELOC's are typically full documentation qualifying loans so you'll need actual income to qualify whether it be from pension, insurance, rental's, etc that are all fully documented on taxes, W2's, 1099 forms, etc.

With your analytical mindset and dedication, you’re well-positioned for success in real estate.

It's important to make sure you work with a reputable one that multiple people have had positive experiences with.

It'll take you a while to replace your $60k income...Assuming that you make 2.5% per deal and pay your Broker 1/2, you'd need to buy/sell $5,000,000 worth of properties per year to equal your current salary.

When you look at job growth and population growth, it looks positive to me.

Quote from @Ryan Konen: @Chris Seveney I've lost a job at company that was morally challenged when I spoke up they found reasons to dissolve my position.

i didn't even know auctions gave opportunities to actually have access to properties beforehand.Given your line of work, i would say that you are uniquely positioned to work well in the outlined situation.

Or would you not try to do this deal at all and wait to build up the cash position to fund the down payment, which could take 2-3 years?

I am interested if anyone has a referral for a bank that will lend (first position) a HELOC on a 4 family property in Columbus, Georgia.