What would you recommend to someone who wants to get involved? 

Renewal shouldn't involve the agent.

It's a tough situation for all parties involved.

If I wanted to be more involved I may have considered starting a real estate biz like wholesaling, flipping, property management, etc.So, I would first determine how much time you want to 'invest' along side that $200k. 

With the cash flow number and the potential equity gain every year you can calculate your estimated return on equity - my hunch is that with $500k in equity it will not be great return.Another thing to keep in mind is that if you have lived in the current house for at least 2 of the last 5 years and it has appreciated a lot while you have owned it then you can sell with little to no capital gains (there is a limit that you may be pushing with that much equity).For those reasons I would probably consider options that involve selling.

Often times the transaction between the DST and the REIT involve a significantly lower commission for the brokers.

The strategy involves using the HELOC for a flip to generate fast cash, reinvesting profits into long-term rentals, or exploring alternative ventures like short-term rentals or partnerships.

Managing a company usually does not involve participating in real estate acquisition, management or construction.

It is in the country, yes title is clean.

At least until you have done your due diligence to understand the steps of being a landlord.Of course they want the address...They always want to see the property before being "prequalified"...There is salesmanship involved with finding a good tenant.