They based underwriting off the deal, my credit score and my bank balance/statements.

:) The buyer enters into an agreement to purchase the property by making payments with some amount due in the first payment and then a schedule of the remaining balance paid in installments.

For nearly fifteen years I had worked as a commercial photographer trying to balance art and commerce.

You don't have to worry about keeping balancing under 30%.

Jair keep in mind “ having family” can not counter balance any additional expenses to purchase in Houston vs DFW for instance.

Small multi family is generally the most attractive asset class for out of state investors here as it provides a nice balance of cash flow with reasonable purchase price

But using that money as a downpayment is not "correct".For starters, it's almost guaranteed in this environment that the interest rate on your HELOC is higher than your CoC returns on the properties you'd buy.That doesn't make sense.Beyond that, how will you pay off the $400k HELOC balance?

Can I explore an option of getting the regular mortgage for a part of the balance?

Tools like Zillow, Realtor.com, and local real estate websites can provide valuable insights.Choosing a market involves balancing risk and potential return.

Consolidated corporate entity with standard departments, balance sheet, etc.While each syndicators motives are different, I would say the first reason is most syndications simply don't have the tenure to even begin to look at institutional investors.