With such low rental yields, the return on investment (ROI) and cash-on-cash (CoC) return are negative when factoring in mortgage payments only, not including any other factors.In this market, it seems almost impossible to make a profit using traditional rental property investing strategies.

I grew up a Carpenter, so being able to rent a unit and fix the other seems like a low risk option for getting started. 

Bought a 5 plex in 2022 insurance was $1500/year (which was low). 

My goal is to spread my funds across multiple investments to grow my portfolio while keeping my down payments as low as possible.

I buy where people want to live, not where property is cheap due to low demand.  

Rates will be 10-13%, depending on the terms.A HELOC can be a good tool to leverage your equity for a down payment without touching your current low-rate mortgage.

Getting $235K in Maple HTS is a hefty price tag unless it's a brand-new build.We've managed to bump up low appraisals by $20k in Maple HTS, but it really depends on the specifics of the deal.     

Very low probability you will get anything back.

I tried to get a HELOC on my rental property, but the bank denied me for a low loan-to-value on the property.

Anecdotally, from searching Wake County (WC) NC records, defaults remain at near all-time lows, and I see this market (foreclosure/pre-foreclosure) as an opportunity not worth pursuing.