If they are professional, they can explain this quickly and easily.

For a while, I've felt like I just couldn't find the pieces that fit any given situation.

I am interested to hear what the other pros have to say about your situation and how they would recommend approaches this. 

I've got about 7k in an emergency savings account.I am in the process of getting several mortgage pre-approvals to compare fees and get an idea of how much home I can realistically afford.I have yet to find a buyer's agent/investor to help me identify potential homes but will start on that shortly.Ideally, I would like to buy a single family home.

@Sean Spagnola - I always like to have photos of recent comps in my back pocket to help with the design of a BRRRR to ensure that the finishes are similar/same to the market. 

If you find an actual property that looks like a homerun and would warrant a HELOC, then you can go for it without reservation.

Most HOAs in this area don't allow short term rentals, only long term tenants. 3) Make sure you have a great team to guide the transaction so nothing gets missed!

Second thing would be to work with a contractor, this is great stuff to do since you know building a house, building material costs, and knowledge of right and wrong what to do. 

Central location works best like you want.

What I always suggest for folks who do not like a lot of is to borrow  no more then 60% loan to value.