It also depends on the situation sometimes a HELOC is warranted for short term financial needs so long as you have a plan to get back in the same or better financial position afterwards and the "means," and "will," to carry out this financial or mortgage plan- HELOC's are typically full documentation qualifying loans so you'll need actual income to qualify whether it be from pension, insurance, rental's, etc that are all fully documented on taxes, W2's, 1099 forms, etc.

Tough situation man.

I find myself in a similar situation.

Only thing I can think to do is call Vrbo or Airbnb and explain the situation and see if they would allow you to create another account that maybe isn't active to use until the other accounts are shut down?

@Manuel Reza - $99 was the only fee I had to pay so it was worth it for me and my unique situation. 

It's a tough situation for all parties involved.

Privacy is of zero help in these situations. 

i didn't even know auctions gave opportunities to actually have access to properties beforehand.Given your line of work, i would say that you are uniquely positioned to work well in the outlined situation.

You may want to think about working with a realtor or a really good attorney to make sure you are set up correctly to start off in the best possible situation. 

If you are going to be active, and have high conviction in a project with a clearly defined entry/exit strategy then using a HELOC is one of the better sources of capital.But, I continue to have my stance that, on average, folks who use a HELOC to fund the down payment for long-term investments will eventually find themselves in a situation where their portfolios drain their personal financial situations, rather than fueling them.