This was not what I was interested in doing and when I voiced that I was interested in 5-20 unit deals and had the funding for that in place I just got additional push back for buying the larger buildings.

Electric: is the easiest to split, but may require holes cut in walls to separate the units.Gas: gas lines aren't as flexible as wires, but it can usually be done affordably.Water: most cities will NOT install additional water meters on a property.

I know hosts have included additional cleaning fees for violations as a deterrent.If none of these solutions work, you could look into completely independent HVAC systems for the two units, though that would be a bigger upfront investment.

That would be a helpful addition to your plan as you would further reduce your cost of living.Also don’t forget from that $600 you are planning on getting in cash flow you have taxes, insurance, maintenance, capex, and vacancy to consider.With two homes, you may want to keep that extra $20k as an emergency fund rather than spending it on a third property and then be left with no emergency funds.

If I have several options, I would prefer a HELOC with no initial draw requirements (i.e. to establish a literal line of credit that I have no specific short term plans to use), i.e. not something like the better.com HELOC. 

So you have some great resources right off the bat, my additional Referrals would be too many :)

You may not be able to break the contract this year but would recommend getting additional estimates going forward if you feel it is expensive.

Additionally, it's a good idea to connect with a Property Manager early on.

Although he is a banker, he thinks having the ability to operate as a broker and place loans with 30+ other lenders, in addition to his bank, is the "best setup."

Rate will be highly dependent on loan size, credit score, LTV, location, and property type, as well as a few other factors.