Hi @Aaron Raffaelli, you've gotten good advice here as well as some good options.

Look for motivated sellers off market and market via cold calling and or direct mail, geofencing, advertising and the like.A good wholesaler is as @Ericka Parrott mentioned, direct to seller, did good underwriting and can deliver an actual "Deal" whether buy and hold or flip. 

Going to try out PayRange, the Shine Pay is slightly more expensive and the one quote about the 20 units appears to be from shinepay as it is the only qoute they ever made... not sure which is better but both look like good options

Only the house 5 down with the same sq ft is literally worth 100K more because the neighborhood actually changes in those 5 houses. 

While I’ve considered cash-out refinancing or HELOCs, the high rates make these options less appealing.I’m debating between using cash to acquire more SFRs or diversifying into mixed-use retail properties.

It sounds like you are in a nice spot where you have options moving forward with investing, (congrats).

For investors, would earning passive income through property cash flow (without actually owning the property) be appealing?

I see you are located in Royal Oak, that is the area we've actually been looking at as I'll be based in Warren at the Arsenal. 

@Matthew Posteraro I'm a big fan of starting with the 5% options. 

But the real difference comes down to what actually drives revenue.For example, splurging on a mural in a one-bedroom rental for travel nurses won’t necessarily increase bookings (unless they’re influencers and you have a social media strategy for your rental).