Getting out to the local meetups, in my opinion, is one of the most important things we all can do as investors. 

The link does work though and takes you to the podcast page.

Without a shop, you can just say, “Here’s where you can find the toy” and skip the warnings.2.

It offers a great opportunity to learn the ins and outs of the industry while building a network. 

For practitioners in the real estate industry, the biggest challenge is not just the difficult work, high risks, or immense pressure, but the necessity to learn to let go of complete control over outcomes.

It's not easy, but all successful agents operate like a business with daily tasks to attract leads and follow through on those leads.

Ask the city/county for their STR rules.

The overall LTV (including all 3 mortgages) will be key and your selling point will need to be that the 2nd mortgage ($8k) will burn off in 2.5 years (based on your surprise that it was even out there, I'd recommend that you follow up in 2.5 years and ensure that it's been satisified, so that it doesn't surprise you again in the future).Does the $8k grant vest over the 5 years? 

The mortgage would stay under the seller's name.The buyer could then rent out the unit, renovate, etc. to increase cash flow or make more money.But aside from a possible "due on clause" being called by the mortgage company, what's the benefit to the seller?

Go with the HELOC.