I generally prefer higher since I don’t plan on putting in small claims, it’s basically just for catastrophic loses and the savings in premiums over multpiple properties for multiple years should balance that out if I have ever have to use the insurance.

What’s the current loan balance and terms with the hard money lender?

This will happen in a market with balanced supply and demand, in a monetary system like the US, with fiat currency targeting 2% inflation.- In some markets, that are growing quickly, with great jobs and lots of inbound migration, this could be a little higher - like 4-5% per year over long time periods as demand outpaces supply.

Then go for a rug that mixes those colors together well (you also really need a coffee table to fill the space and something vertical like a floor lamp to help balance out the different window sizes.)

It also allows gives you greater flexibility.Plus, once you flip the home and make a few dollars, you should be able to pay the HELOC to a zero balance as well as having extra funds to throw in your war chest.

What I'm thinking is that you may be able to pay the remaining $44k HELOC balance based on your cashflow.

For instance, cities like Chicago are known for landlord-tenant laws that skew heavily in favor of tenants, and that risk should be baked into your underwriting.What’s your take on balancing short-term cash flow with long-term equity growth?

Principal mortgage balance is $159,531.

A HELOC could help temporarily if you plan to payoff the balance quickly and are planning to save on monthly payments in the short term.  

This means there are no checks and balances to ensure all transactions are entered correctly.