Nice to meet everyone!!!

I've got about $525K in equity in the property, but lenders have told me that I cannot get a HELOC to access that equity for additional purchases because the duplex was financed as an investment - they have said TX law dictates that HELOC can only be used on primary residences.

Hey @Kyle Nikolich - You'll get many different answers for new construction costs. 

Very exciting you are looking to get into the RE investing world.Thanks for the interest in Rent To Retirement.

I am super interested in getting plugged in with the investing community here in Tyler.

Hi, Im trying to get some feedback on whats the best programs to do text blasts & voice blasts. 

The predicament we are in is the property is not in the condition to charge that much for rent and we would also leave a lot of money in the deal once we refinance if we cannot get in there to fix it up.

Lots of leg work, calls and emails, but if you can find a few deals that could get you started with enough capital to get into your first deal on your own.

Owner-occupied commercial properties generally get better interest rates and terms when compared to pure investment properties. 

@Chantelle LewisRecommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), etc.Also, encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.